Saudi National Day

Saudi National Day is celebrated on September 23, marking the 1932 proclamation that united the modern state under the name Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The date followed a long campaign led by King Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman Al Saud, who recaptured Riyadh in 1902 and gradually brought much of the Arabian Peninsula under a single state over the next three decades.

The holiday became an official public holiday in 2005 and has developed into the Kingdom’s largest modern civic celebration. Cities may stage concerts, light shows, cultural performances, aviation displays and family events, while homes, shops and streets are filled with green flags and national colours. Annual programming changes, but the lasting theme is unity: a commemoration of the modern Kingdom’s formation and an opportunity to celebrate its people, heritage and ambitions.

Current MHRSD regulations grant covered workers one paid day on September 23. If National Day overlaps weekly rest, equivalent leave is provided before or after; if it overlaps an Eid period, the rules do not create duplicate compensation. SAMA applies the specific banking convention that Friday moves the holiday to Thursday and Saturday to Sunday. September 23, 2026 falls on Wednesday, so the calendar shows the anniversary itself. The date commemorates the 1932 naming and unification decree, not the earlier 1727 foundation now marked separately in February.