When is Unity Day (Aid Al Wahda)?
In 2026, Unity Day (Aid Al Wahda) falls on Saturday, October 31, 2026. It is classified here as a paid public holiday.
History of Unity Day (Aid Al Wahda)
Unity Day, Aid Al Wahda, was proclaimed in November 2025 for October 31 each year and entered the paid-holiday framework through public- and private-sector decree amendments approved in January 2026. The Royal Office connected the date to UN Security Council Resolution 2797 (2025) and announced that royal pardons could be granted on the occasion.
Its official meaning is Morocco’s national and territorial unity, especially the state’s position on Western Sahara. That is a national narrative, not a statement that the territory’s status is internationally settled: the United Nations still lists Western Sahara as a Non-Self-Governing Territory, and the Moroccan autonomy proposal and Sahrawi self-determination remain politically contested. As 2026 is the first observance, practices are still developing.
Unity Day (Aid Al Wahda) is a paid, non-working holiday under Morocco’s public-administration Decree 2-77-169 as amended; paid holidays for covered agricultural and non-agricultural employment are governed by Decree 2-04-426 and Labour Code Articles 217–223. The decrees do not create an automatic Monday substitute when a holiday falls at the weekend. A bridge or exceptional closure requires a separate decision, as the Government issued for March 23, 2026.
How Unity Day (Aid Al Wahda) is observed
Nationwide paid holiday on Saturday, October 31, 2026; no automatic Monday substitute is stated in the holiday decrees.
Traditions of Unity Day (Aid Al Wahda)
Community practice
People may follow public discussions, display flags or mark the first anniversary privately, while views of the Western Sahara question differ. Customs differ by region, language, religious practice and household resources.
Public programme
Authorities may organise new commemorative programmes and announce royal pardons; there is not yet a long-established annual ritual to describe. The official programme does not imply identical participation or political interpretation across Morocco.
Planning the day
Check Monday, November 2 schedules directly because the inaugural holiday falls on Saturday. Essential services, transport and private businesses may follow their own published schedules.
Dates and observance rules are checked against the official Morocco official holiday calendar or legislation. Government, regional, school and employer schedules in Morocco may differ; check the linked official source and current local notices before making time-sensitive plans.
History sources: Moroccan public-service legal database: consolidated Decree 2-77-169, Moroccan administration ministry: working hours and public holidays, Moroccan Labour Code, including Articles 217–223 on paid holidays, Morocco national portal: national and religious holiday calendar, Royal Office: proclamation of October 31 as Unity Day, Government Council report: public- and private-sector implementing decrees, UN Security Council Resolution 2797 (2025), United Nations: unresolved status of Western Sahara.
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