All the key timings of Eid ul Fitr 2025 for UK Muslims
Announcements for the first big Eid in the Islamic calendar are taking place on the weekend of March 29 and 30.
Eid ul Fitr 2025 is therefore expected to be either on Sunday, March 30, or Monday, March 31. This is around 10 days earlier than last year because Islam’s lunar-based calendar of 354 days in a year does not match the solar-based Gregorian calendar of 365 days for the Western world.
Muslim-majority countries typically have a national moonsighting body that makes declarations for their entire population so that everyone follows the same date for months and events. But what about the UK, where there is no such system in place – is it Eid today or tomorrow?
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The answer to that depends on when you started Ramadan and which moonsighting announcements you follow. Many UK households base their dates on what their mosque is doing so they have some sort of organised calendar for prayers and other events with other Muslims in the local community.
The Islamic calendar was largely in alignment across the globe ahead of Ramadan and moonsighting observations took place everywhere on Friday, February 28.
Things then got out of step when some countries declared the moon had been seen and Ramadan would begin the next day, March 1, while others reported they had not seen the crescent, meaning their Ramadan didn’t get underway until March 2.
As it’s customary to look for the Shawwal moon on the 29th day of Ramadan, which decides the date of Eid ul Fitr, there then became two different days to do that. For some, the 29th was March 29, and for others it is March 30.
In non-Islamic nations such as the UK, this becomes more confusing. Some Muslims here choose to follow Saudi Arabia’s announcements for Eid while others try to see the moon in the UK – and if that’s not possible they follow what’s declared in our nearest Islamic neighbour, Morocco, where the time zone is the same.
Green Lane Masjid and Community Centre (GLMCC) in Small Heath, Birmingham, is among those in the UK that follow the Saudi reports. Significantly, it organises the city’s big public Eid gatherings.
When is Eid ul Fitr in the UK? Key days and dates
- For UK Muslims who follow Saudi Arabia: Sunday, March 30
- For UK Muslims who follow UK sightings: Monday, March 31 (to be confirmed)
When will the Eid moonsighting be in the UK?
Moonsighting observations in the UK will take place on the evening of Sunday, March 30.
Astronomers at the UK Government’s HM Almanac Office say that sunset in Birmingham on Sunday is at 7.38pm and moonset at 9.38pm. Similar times, varying by a few minutes on either side, apply across the rest of the UK.
So we can expect announcements this evening from around 7pm onwards. Note that the clocks have gone forward by an hour today, making times an hour later than they would have been the day before.
HM Almanac Office has issued this moon forecast for Sunday, March 30: “Most of the world should be able to make an easy sighting with the possible exceptions of Oceania and southernmost parts of South America. New Guinea and northern parts of Australia may be able to make a sighting under perfect conditions. Telescopic sightings of the crescent moon with small, conventional amateur-sized telescopes may be possible from central Australia. Easy sightings with the naked eye should be possible from the Middle East, North Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States in particular.”
It’s important to note that if Saudi Arabia had not reported a positive moonsighting on Saturday, their Eid would have been on Monday and that would then have meant a united Eid for the UK.
Eid ul Fitr usually lasts three days. There are no public holidays for Eid in the UK, so the variations in dates can cause confusion and difficulty with booking time off to celebrate with family, relatives, and friends.
Whichever day you are celebrating, we wish you Eid Mubarak.
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