Today's Edition
ISIDORA CIRIC (ABU DHABI)
Residents planning family visits, outings and Eid gatherings will benefit from free public parking in four emirates during the Eid Al Adha holidays.
Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Ajman and Sharjah have announced temporary exemptions from parking fees, although motorists have been reminded that some facilities and special zones will continue to operate under existing tariffs.
Abu Dhabi
In Abu Dhabi, public parking will be free from Monday, May 25, to Friday, May 29, with normal paid parking resuming on Saturday, May 30.
Since parking is already free on Sundays in the emirate, motorists will effectively benefit from six days without public parking fees when the Eid holiday is combined with the regular Sunday exemption.
Public multi-storey parking buildings in Abu Dhabi will remain chargeable 24 hours a day, in line with standard tariff rates.
Darb toll gates at Sas Al Nakhl, Al Maqta, Rabdan and Al Saadiyat will be free during the Eid Al Adha holiday. However, Al Qurm and Ghantoot gates will continue to operate around the clock, with a charge of Dh4 per crossing.
Motorists have been reminded that a journey may still attract toll charges even if parking at the destination is free.
Dubai
In Dubai, public parking will be free from Monday, May 25, to Friday, May 29, with Parkin and the Roads and Transport Authority applying the waiver across public parking areas.
Since parking is already free across Dubai every Sunday, motorists will effectively benefit from six fee-free days.
Multi-storey car parks are excluded from the exemption and will remain subject to regular tariffs throughout the holiday.
Drivers should also check parking rules at privately operated locations, including private compounds, hotel parking, mall parking and valet areas, unless operators issue separate Eid advisories.
Sharjah
In Sharjah, public parking will be free for the first three days of Eid Al Adha, from Wednesday, May 27, to Friday, May 29, according to the Sharjah City Municipality.
The municipality explained that the exemption applies to the first, second and third days of Eid.
Standard paid parking in Sharjah operates from Saturday to Thursday, from 8am to 10pm. During Eid, those standard public parking fees will be waived for the first three days of the holiday, from Wednesday, May 27, to Friday, May 29.
However, blue signboard zones are excluded. These bays, marked for paid use on all days including public holidays, will remain chargeable throughout the Eid break.
Smart parking areas in tourist districts and major commercial zones will also remain paid through the Sharjah Digital platform and application.
The distinction matters most in waterfront areas, retail clusters and other high-demand locations where smart and premium parking systems are used to manage turnover.
Drivers heading to those areas should assume tariffs still apply unless the bay is clearly outside the marked premium network.
Ajman
Ajman is applying one of the broadest municipal waivers. The Department of Municipality and Planning in Ajman announced that it would suspend fees on all paid municipal parking spaces from Tuesday, May 26, to Friday, May 29.
Regular tariffs will resume on Saturday, May 30. The emirate's notice does not list blue-zone-style exceptions across the paid municipal network, giving motorists a simpler rule than Sharjah during the holiday period.
That means residents and visitors moving between city centre streets and neighbourhood parking areas will face fewer zone-based differences, although privately managed facilities, hotel basements, mall parking, valet areas and private compounds remain outside municipal notices unless operators announce separate exemptions.
