Eid al-Fitr 2028

What this countdown tracks

Eid al-Fitr 2028 – the festival closing Ramadan – is expected on Saturday February 26, 2028 (subject to local moon sighting; some regions may observe February 27). The three-day festival closes Ramadan 1449 AH and is observed by an estimated 1.9 billion Muslims worldwide.

About Eid al-Fitr

Eid al-Fitr means "festival of breaking the fast." Falling on the first day of Shawwal, the tenth Hijri month, it is the day Muslims gather for a special congregational prayer of thanksgiving after completing the month-long Ramadan fast. The festival was instituted by the Prophet Muhammad in Medina around 624 CE, after the first Ramadan fast was observed by the early Muslim community – when the people of Medina were asked about their previous festival days, the Prophet replied that Allah had given them two better days, Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha.

The two Eids are the only canonical festivals of Islam, recognized across Sunni and Shia traditions, and observed in essentially the same form across nearly all schools. Eid al-Fitr is the larger of the two in South Asia, Southeast Asia, the Levant, Turkey, and most of North and West Africa; Eid al-Adha is the larger in the Arabian Peninsula because of its tie to the Hajj.

In 2028, Eid al-Fitr arrives in late February – early in the year because the Hijri calendar moves about eleven days earlier than the Gregorian calendar each year. Indonesia's Lebaran (Idul Fitri) will trigger the country's annual mudik migration; Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, and Egypt will declare three-day public holidays; Saudi Arabia's Eid al-Fitr is typically a multi-day shutdown in which workplaces, ministries, and schools close.

How it's observed

Eid begins before sunrise. Families perform ghusl (full ritual ablution), wear new or freshly laundered clothes – often the year's most special outfit – and apply attar (perfume oil). Unlike Eid al-Adha, on Eid al-Fitr Muslims are encouraged to eat a small amount of food before the prayer, traditionally an odd number of dates, to mark the formal end of the Ramadan fast. Congregations then gather in large open Eidgah prayer grounds, mosques, or community halls for the two-rakat Eid prayer, followed by a khutbah from the imam.

Before the prayer, every adult Muslim householder pays zakat al-fitr – a mandatory charitable donation, traditionally equivalent to about 2.5 kg of staple food (or its cash equivalent) per family member, paid in time for the poor to receive it before the Eid prayer. The donation is calculated for every member of the household, including infants.

After the prayer, the day opens into family visits and feasting. Children receive Eidi – cash gifts from parents and elders. The signature foods vary by region: sheer khurma and biryani in South Asia; baklava and Turkish coffee in Turkey; ma'amoul and qatayef in the Levant; kahk cookies in Egypt; ketupat and rendang in Indonesia and Malaysia; jalebi and seviyan in north India and Pakistan. Visits run for three full days; reconciliation of strained relationships is widely understood as part of the Eid spirit.

The Grand Mosque in Mecca, Al-Aqsa in Jerusalem, the Sultan Ahmed Mosque in Istanbul, the Badshahi Mosque in Lahore, the Faisal Mosque in Islamabad, the Jama Masjid in Delhi, and the Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta host some of the world's largest Eid congregations.

Why this date specifically

Eid al-Fitr falls on 1 Shawwal in the Hijri calendar – the day after the new crescent moon ends Ramadan. For 2028, astronomical calculations place the new crescent's first visibility on the evening of Friday February 25, with Eid prayers on Saturday February 26 in most regions. Saudi Arabia's Supreme Court, individual national moon-sighting committees, and astronomical-only calendars (such as the Fiqh Council of North America's) may declare the date one day apart depending on local sighting conditions and methodology.

What to watch for / notable observances in 2028

• Evening of February 25 – moon-sighting announcements from major Muslim-majority countries
• Morning of February 26 – Eid prayers at the Grand Mosque, Mecca, and major mosques worldwide
• Three-day public holiday in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Egypt, Turkey, and Indonesia
• Indonesian Lebaran mudik travel rush (typically begins about a week before Eid)
• Major diaspora Eid prayers in London (over 100,000 in some years), Birmingham, Toronto, New York, and Sydney
• Mayoral Eid breakfast events in many Western cities; Eid bazaars and food festivals
• Shorter winter daylight in 2028's late February gives the preceding Ramadan fasts of around 11–12 hours in temperate regions

Related festivals to track

Eid al-Fitr 2028 closes Ramadan 2028, which began approximately January 28. The other big Islamic festival of 2028 is Eid al-Adha on approximately May 5. The family overview is at the Islamic festival hub. For comparable post-fasting feasts in other traditions, see Easter in the Christian festival hub.

FAQ

When is Eid al-Fitr in 2028? Expected on Saturday February 26, 2028 – subject to local moon sighting; some regions may observe February 27.

How is Eid al-Fitr observed? Through the morning Eid prayer in congregation, payment of zakat al-fitr to the poor, new clothes, sweet dishes, family visits, and Eidi cash gifts to children.

Is Eid al-Fitr a public holiday? Yes, in over 80 countries – usually a three-day public holiday in Muslim-majority countries.

What is the typical greeting? "Eid Mubarak" (blessed Eid) or "Eid Saeed" (happy Eid); in Indonesian, "Selamat Idul Fitri"; in Turkish, "Bayramınız kutlu olsun."