Ramadan 2027 is expected to begin in Saudi Arabia on Monday 8 February 2027, with Eid al Fitr expected on Tuesday 9 March (or Wednesday 10 March), subject to the official moon sighting. It is the biggest media season of the year: Saudi agencies estimate ad CPMs rise 30 to 60%, and the last ten nights are the most competitive. The brands that do best lock in creative, offers and budgets in January, before costs climb.
This guide gives you the key dates, what to expect from media costs, and a week by week plan.
Key Ramadan 2027 dates for Saudi marketers
Islamic dates follow the Umm al Qura calendar and the official moon sighting, so treat every moon based date below as expected, with a possible shift of one day.
| Date (2027) | Event | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Wed 27 January | Salary day | The last full salary before Ramadan; it funds Ramadan shopping |
| About 25 January to 7 February | Pre Ramadan shopping | Grocery, home, kitchenware, decor and modest fashion demand rises |
| Mon 8 February | 1 Ramadan (expected) | Media consumption shifts to late night |
| Sun 14 February | Valentine’s Day (7 Ramadan) | Not an official occasion; keep it muted |
| Fri 19 to Mon 22 February | Founding Day school break | A four day weekend inside Ramadan |
| Mon 22 February | Founding Day (15 Ramadan) | Public holiday; blend heritage and Ramadan themes |
| Fri 26 February to Sat 13 March | Eid al Fitr school break | 16 days off school; travel and Eid shopping peak |
| Evening of Sat 27 February | Last ten nights begin (expected) | Highest ad competition of the year |
| Sun 28 February (expected deposit) | Eid salary | The 27th is a Saturday, so payment is expected the next day |
| Night of Fri 5 March | Laylat al Qadr (27th night, expected) | Peak donation night for charities |
| 7 to 11 March | Bank holiday (SAMA) | Plan payments and refunds around it |
| Tue 9 March (or Wed 10) | Eid al Fitr (expected) | Gifting, dining out, entertainment and travel |
| Thu 11 March | Saudi Flag Day | Falls inside Eid week; not a day off |
For every Saudi season in one place, with campaign ideas and reminders, use our free Saudi Marketing Calendar 2027.
How Ramadan changes media costs and behavior
Three shifts define Ramadan advertising in Saudi Arabia:
- Costs rise. Saudi agencies estimate social CPMs climb 30 to 60%, and programmatic buying runs 40 to 60% higher in Ramadan weeks. Gulf TV CPMs rise 25 to 40%. One unsourced claim of 200 to 300% increases circulates online, but it is an outlier.
- Attention moves to the night. Usage peaks after iftar and continues until suhoor, so evening and late night hours carry most of the opportunity.
- Competition intensifies. Ramadan ad spend across the Arab world was projected to pass US$2 billion in 2026, according to Annahar. Every serious brand is in the auction.
Higher costs are not a reason to stay out. Purchase intent rises too, especially for food, fashion, gifts, perfume and charity. The goal is to arrive with proven ads so your extra spend works harder.
Budgeting for Ramadan: a worked example
A simple way to plan is to apply a cost multiplier to your normal CPM. Our calculator uses about 1.35 times a normal month for the first 20 days of Ramadan and about 1.5 times for the last ten nights and Eid, based on the agency estimates above.
If your normal Snapchat CPM is about SAR 16 and you spend SAR 10,000:
- Normal month: about 625,000 impressions.
- Ramadan days 1 to 20 (CPM about SAR 21.60): about 463,000 impressions.
- Last ten nights and Eid (CPM about SAR 24): about 417,000 impressions.
To hold your reach steady, you would need roughly 35 to 50% more budget. Many brands accept lower reach and focus spend on their best audiences and hours instead. Model your own numbers with our free ad budget calculator, which includes Ramadan and Eid as seasons.
A phase by phase Ramadan 2027 plan
Phase 1: Prepare (December 2026 to mid January 2027)
- Agree on offers, bundles and stock levels for Ramadan and Eid.
- Produce creative in batches: Ramadan, Founding Day, last ten nights and Eid versions.
- Book creators early. Anyone who publishes ads on their own accounts in Saudi Arabia needs a Mawthooq licence, so confirm licence status before you sign.
- Fix tracking, product feeds and landing pages, including WhatsApp contact and Arabic checkout.
- Use the mid year school break (8 to 16 January) to test new ads while costs are normal.
Phase 2: Pre Ramadan (about 25 January to 7 February)
Launch stock up campaigns for groceries, home and kitchen, decor and modest fashion. The 27 January salary lands in this window. Test hooks and keep the winners ready for Ramadan.
Phase 3: The first 20 days (8 to 27 February)
Shift budgets to evening and late night hours. Lead with family, generosity and togetherness themes. Around 22 February, blend Founding Day heritage creative with the Ramadan mood. Keep Valentine’s Day on 14 February low key, limited to flowers, gifts and jewelry if at all.
Phase 4: Last ten nights and Eid (28 February to 13 March)
This is the peak. The Eid salary, expected on 28 February, fuels Eid clothing, gifts, eidiya and electronics. Charity, Umrah, perfume and oud see strong demand. On Laylat al Qadr, keep the tone spiritual; charities and Islamic finance brands see their biggest response. As Eid arrives, switch to gifting, dining out, entertainment and travel.
Phase 5: After Eid (mid March onwards)
Expect a lull as routines return. Retarget Ramadan visitors, collect reviews, and analyze what worked while it is fresh. The next salary is expected on 28 March.
Ramadan opportunities by business type
The calendar affects sectors differently:
| Business type | Peak moments in Ramadan 2027 | What to push |
|---|---|---|
| Groceries and home | Pre Ramadan and the first week | Stock up bundles, kitchenware, decor |
| Restaurants and delivery | Every evening, iftar to suhoor | Iftar and suhoor deals, late night delivery |
| Fashion and retail | Last ten nights, Eid salary on 28 February | Eid outfits, gifts, modest fashion |
| Perfume, oud and gifts | Last ten nights and Eid | Gift sets, Eid gifting, eidiya ideas |
| Charities and Islamic finance | Last ten nights, peaking on Laylat al Qadr | Zakat and sadaqah, spiritual tone |
| Travel and entertainment | Eid school break from 26 February | Eid trips, family outings, events |
| Electronics | Eid salary and Eid week | Gifts, upgrades, payment plans |
Creative tips for Ramadan in Saudi Arabia
- Respect the month. Keep humor gentle, avoid anything that feels careless, and match the reflective mood of the final nights.
- Speak Saudi. Saudi dialect voiceovers and local faces feel more relevant to Saudi viewers than generic GCC creative.
- Use UGC for authenticity. Short, phone style videos of real people preparing iftar, shopping for Eid or unboxing gifts fit Snapchat and TikTok well. See our guide to UGC video prices in Saudi Arabia.
- Refresh often. Competition for attention is higher in Ramadan and ads tire faster, so plan new versions every week or two.
- Show the offer clearly. Price, delivery time before Eid and payment options reduce hesitation.
Measuring and adjusting during Ramadan
Ramadan moves fast, so weekly reports are too slow. Check spend and cost per result daily, and move budget between platforms, hours and ads as results change. At Zeal, campaigns run on Zeal MB, our in house media buying platform, where an AI Pilot monitors performance and suggests budget moves, and clients follow results in a live SAR dashboard. If you want a team to plan and run your Ramadan campaigns, see our performance marketing service.
The practical takeaway
Treat Ramadan 2027 as a two month project, not a four week campaign. Finish creative and offers by mid January, test during the pre Ramadan window, budget roughly 35 to 50% more to keep reach, concentrate spend in the evening and late night, and save your strongest offers for the Eid salary and the last ten nights. Recheck all dates once the moon sighting is confirmed.