Eid al-Adha in Turkey 2027: Dates, Kurban Bayramı and the Holiday Week

Eid al-Adha in Turkey 2027 runs from Sunday 16 to Wednesday 19 May, according to the 2027 calendar of religious days published by Diyanet, Turkey's Presidency of Religious Affairs. The eve falls on Saturday 15 May. By law the public holiday starts at 13:00 that day and lasts four and a half days. No decision has been announced on whether administrative leave will lengthen the break. In Turkish the holiday is called Kurban Bayramı.

This guide covers what is specific to Kurban Bayramı:

• the administrative leave question
• the rules for the sacrifice and the custom of sharing the meat
• what changed in Istanbul and on the roads in recent holiday weeks
• entry for visitors from the Gulf
• what the dates mean for company programmes, galas and weddings

For the other Eid in Turkey, the holiday at the end of Ramadan, and for why the date moves every year, see our guide to Eid al-Fitr in Turkey.

Last updated: October 2026. Each section names its source.

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Contents

1. Eid al-Adha in Turkey 2027: dates and the short answer
2. Kurban Bayramı: what the holiday is and what it is called
3. The sacrifice in Turkey: where it happens and what the rules say
4. How families share the holiday
5. Istanbul during Kurban Bayramı: what is open and what changes
6. Travel and hotels in the holiday week
7. Arriving from the Gulf for Eid al-Adha
8. Events around Eid al-Adha: company programmes, galas and weddings
9. What is fixed and what to check before you book

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1. Eid al-Adha in Turkey 2027: dates and the short answer

The 2027 dates

Diyanet's 2027 calendar lists the holiday in the Hijri month of Dhu al-Hijjah 1448:

• Eve (arefe): Saturday 15 May 2027
• Day 1: Sunday 16 May
• Day 2: Monday 17 May
• Day 3: Tuesday 18 May
• Day 4: Wednesday 19 May

Turkish news sites have published the same days, citing the same calendar.

Four and a half days by law

Law No. 2429 on National Holidays and General Holidays, passed in 1981, sets Kurban Bayramı at four and a half days from 13:00 on the eve. For 2027 that means a public holiday from Saturday afternoon, 15 May, to the end of Wednesday 19 May.

The same law makes 19 May a general holiday: Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day. In 2027 the fourth day of Kurban Bayramı falls on that date, so the two holidays overlap on the same day.

Administrative leave: not announced yet

In some years the government has lengthened the break with administrative leave:

• 2023: 26 and 27 June were placed under administrative leave. With the weekend, this made nine days off.
• 2026: a statement after a Cabinet meeting set the total holiday at nine days.

Reports on both years say the leave applied to public employees. A 2026 report adds that in the private sector it is not a legal requirement and is left to the employer.

For 2027, a news report dated 13 October 2026 said no official decision on a nine-day holiday had been announced and that such an arrangement was not confirmed. Until one is published, plan on the four and a half days set by law.

2. Kurban Bayramı: what the holiday is and what it is called

Two names for one holiday

Internationally the holiday is known as Eid al-Adha. In Turkish it is Kurban Bayramı. If you are looking at the whole year, our festivals guide has a section on religious holidays and cultural festivals.

What the word kurban means

Diyanet's High Board of Religious Affairs explains that the word kurban comes from the idea of drawing near: it is something that becomes a means of drawing closer to God. The Board also uses two separate terms. The animal sacrificed during Kurban Bayramı is called udhiye. The animal sacrificed during the Hajj is called hedy.

What the holiday stands for

Diyanet's own page on the holiday describes it through the example of the Prophet Ibrahim, the Hajj and the act of sacrifice. It calls the sacrifice an opportunity to share what we have with the poor and those in need. That idea of sharing runs through the customs in section 4. For visitors, it explains why the holiday is about giving as much as gathering.

3. The sacrifice in Turkey: where it happens and what the rules say

Where the sacrifice may take place

A guide from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, published in 2020 on the site of its Giresun provincial directorate, sets two rules:

• Animals are slaughtered in municipal slaughterhouses or at places set by the Sacrifice Services Commission (Kurban Hizmetleri Komisyonu).
• Slaughter is not allowed in public spaces such as streets, avenues and parks.

Because the page dates from 2020, check whether newer guidance has been issued for 2027.

Fines for slaughter in public places

A DHA report from May 2026 said administrative fines would apply in that year's holiday. They covered slaughter in parks, gardens, streets, in front of buildings, in squares and in other public places not suitable for sale and slaughter. They also covered anyone who failed to take the required measures at permitted sites. Fine amounts are set each year, so check the current figure with the municipality.

Municipal sites and sacrifice by proxy

In Istanbul, the Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) has run its own sales and slaughter sites. In 2024 it announced sites on both the European and Asian sides ahead of the holiday. It also offered a Kurban mobile app that showed where they were. The number of sites has differed between years, so for 2027 wait for İBB's own announcement.

There is also sacrifice by proxy (vekalet). The Turkish Diyanet Foundation (TDV) has organised it since 1993, and the meat goes to people in need. For current terms, contact the foundation directly.

4. How families share the holiday

Sharing the meat in three parts

Diyanet's High Board recommends dividing the meat into three parts:

• one for the poor who cannot offer a sacrifice themselves
• one for relatives, acquaintances and neighbours
• one to be eaten at home

The Board presents this as a recommendation, not a rule.

Packaging and municipal help

The sharing has a practical side that cities plan for. In 2024 İBB prepared 240,000 hygienic bags for packaging the meat and handed them out free. Arrangements of this kind are announced by the municipality for each holiday, so look for İBB's 2027 notice rather than assuming the same service.

Greetings and visits

The holiday greeting, bayramlaşmak, is described in our Eid al-Fitr guide linked above. If you are moving guests around Istanbul in the holiday week, check İBB's 2027 notice for city services.

A cup of Turkish coffee with a piece of Turkish delight on a blue saucer, beside a glass of water on a wooden table

5. Istanbul during Kurban Bayramı: what is open and what changes

Palaces on the first day

In 2026 the National Palaces Administration opened Topkapı Palace on the first day of the holiday, Wednesday 27 May, from 10:30 to 17:30. Its other palaces, pavilions and museums were closed that day. If a sightseeing morning falls on the first day of the 2027 holiday, this is the arrangement to check.

Ministry museums

In 2025 the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Museums said museums under the ministry would open from 13:00 on the first day and stay open on all holiday days. The same report said palaces and pavilions were open on 6, 7 and 8 June 2025. Those are two different arrangements in two years. Check the 2027 announcements from both the National Palaces Administration and the ministry before the holiday.

Markets and the wider picture

One visitor guide says the Grand Bazaar closes on the first day of religious holidays, so confirm the opening days before you build a visit into a programme. Mosques, shops and museums in general are covered in our Eid al-Fitr guide.

Ortaköy Mosque on the Bosphorus shore in Istanbul, with its two minarets and the Bosphorus Bridge behind

6. Travel and hotels in the holiday week

Motorways and bridges

For the 2025 holiday, a presidential decision published in the Official Gazette made two kinds of crossing free from 00:00 on 5 June to 24:00 on 9 June 2025:

• motorways run by the General Directorate of Highways (KGM)
• the 15 July Martyrs Bridge and the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge

Motorways and bridges run under the build-operate-transfer model were not included. The 2027 decision, if there is one, is published in the Official Gazette close to the holiday. Check the Official Gazette before the holiday rather than assuming free crossings.

Public transport

The same 2025 decision made some rail lines free from 00:00 on 6 June to 24:00 on 9 June 2025. These included Marmaray and the Gayrettepe-Istanbul Airport-Arnavutköy metro line. Municipal public transport was free over the same period. In 2024, İBB's free travel over the four holiday days, 16 to 19 June, was for holders of a personalised İstanbulkart only. For getting around Istanbul in general, see the Eid al-Fitr guide.

Airports and hotels

The holiday week is busy at airports. The Minister of Transport and Infrastructure said that from 14 to 23 June 2024:

• Turkey's airports handled 7,916,726 passengers on 52,819 flights.
• Istanbul Airport alone handled 2,434,107 passengers on 15,541 flights.

Hotel demand also moves. A Hürriyet Daily News report on the nine-day holiday in 2022 said about 3 million people travelled, most of them to the Mediterranean and Aegean regions. In 2023 a hotel federation representative was reported as saying occupancy during Kurban Bayramı was approaching 100 per cent. These are sector statements, not Istanbul figures. Still, they are a reason to book rooms early. Our hotel accommodation team handles room blocks for groups.

Maiden's Tower silhouetted against an orange sunset on the Bosphorus, with minarets on the far shore and a small boat passing

7. Arriving from the Gulf for Eid al-Adha

Visa rules for Gulf passport holders

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs visa page, as read for this guide, lists the following:

• UAE, Saudi Arabia and Oman: ordinary and official passport holders are exempt for up to 90 days in any 180-day period.
• Kuwait: official and ordinary passport holders are exempt for travel of up to 90 days within the last 180 days.
• Qatar: diplomatic, service, special and ordinary passport holders are exempt for tourism and transit, up to 90 days within six months from the first entry.
• Bahrain: ordinary passport holders are exempt for up to 90 days in any 180-day period.

The exemption for ordinary passports from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Oman and Bahrain came from a presidential decision reported in December 2023. The page is updated, so recheck it before guests book.

Residents who are not citizens

The list above goes by nationality. Many people in the Gulf hold other passports. A 2022 information note from the Turkish Embassy in Kuwait says residents of Kuwait who are not Kuwaiti citizens can apply for an e-visa if they are eligible. If not, they apply for a sticker visa. Treat that note as dated, and check the ministry page for the passport each guest actually holds.

Holiday length in the Gulf

Each country sets its own break. In the UAE in 2026:

• Public sector: the holiday ran from Monday 25 May to Friday 29 May.
• Private sector: employees had a four-day paid holiday from Tuesday 26 May to Friday 29 May.

Each country announces its 2027 dates closer to the holiday. Travel platform data for 2026 named Istanbul among the top Eid al-Adha choices of travellers from Kuwait, alongside Dubai, Tbilisi and Baku. That data mentioned flights under four hours and visa-friendly entry. For groups arriving together, our VIP transfer and logistics service plans airport arrivals and hotel runs.

8. Events around Eid al-Adha: company programmes, galas and weddings

Reading the calendar for a company programme

The official calendar sets the frame for any programme in the holiday week:

• The public holiday runs from Saturday afternoon, 15 May, to Wednesday 19 May 2027.
• The days on either side are outside the period set by law.
• Whether administrative leave will be added has not been decided. In past years such leave applied to public employees, while private employers decided for their own staff.

A programme that relies on public-sector guests or suppliers in the days around the holiday carries that uncertainty until a decision is published. Our corporate event management team can help you build a schedule that keeps those dates flexible.

Galas, weddings and guests from abroad

Gala dates have constraints of their own, covered under dates to plan around in our gala dinner guide. For how religious holidays affect what a wedding costs, see our wedding cost guide. For the event itself, see luxury wedding and gala management. Guests flying in during the holiday week share the airports with the travel peak described in section 6.

What the production side still needs

The build has its own logistics, whatever the date. For the Tüpraş end-of-year celebration, the production covered branded bar and service points, staffed catering stations and the guest flow through the venue. For the Toyota beach event, staged on the sand with no fixed power or rigging points, every element was transported, ground-supported and weather-planned. Ask your production partner early how the holiday dates affect build days, deliveries and crew.

Branded Tüpraş bar with three service staff behind the counter and colour-coded waste bins on the left, Tüpraş new year event, Istanbul

9. What is fixed and what to check before you book

Fixed now

• The dates in Diyanet's 2027 calendar: eve on 15 May, holiday from 16 to 19 May.
• Four and a half days by law, from 13:00 on the eve.
• The overlap with 19 May.
• The visa list for Gulf passports as currently published.

Announced closer to the holiday

• Any administrative leave.
• Any free crossing of motorways and bridges, and free public transport.
• Palace and museum hours on the first day.
• İBB's sacrifice sites and services.
• The length of the Gulf holiday in each country.
• Any newer ministry guidance on the sacrifice.

As of October 2026, none of these had been published for 2027.

Where to check

• the Official Gazette, for leave and transport decisions
• the National Palaces Administration and the ministry, for museum hours
• İBB, for sites and city services
• the Ministry of Foreign Affairs visa page, for entry
• each Gulf government's own announcement, for its holiday

Talk to Us About Your May 2027 Dates

If you are planning a company programme, gala or wedding in Istanbul around Eid al-Adha 2027, contact us with your preferred dates, guest numbers and where your guests are travelling from. We will show you which parts of the plan depend on decisions not yet announced and how to keep those parts flexible until they are.