Set a reminder if you'll be in the Emirates this week: Tuesday 3 November is UAE Flag Day, and Dubai's ruler HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has publicly called on everyone in the country — citizens and expats alike — to fly the flag. Expect red, green, white and black banners on ministries, malls, office towers, cars and front doors across all seven emirates.

First things first for anyone hoping to squeeze in a long weekend: Flag Day is not a public holiday. Schools, offices and shops run as normal, so there's no extra day off attached. It's a one-day display of national pride rather than a shutdown.

The campaign was launched in 2013 by Sheikh Mohammed himself, and the date is no accident — 3 November marks the anniversary of the late HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan becoming President of the UAE in 2004. This year the ruler took to X to urge ministries, schools, universities and households to raise the flag 'high, proud, noble', calling it a single national moment of loyalty to the country.

If you're visiting during Flag Day, it's a good time to brush up on what the colours actually stand for, since you'll be seeing a lot of them. Red honours the sacrifices of earlier generations who built the union. Green stands for growth, prosperity and cultural renewal. White represents the nation's charitable work and its support for peace and security globally. Black reflects the strength of Emiratis and their rejection of injustice and extremism. Knowing the symbolism turns the citywide display into something more interesting than decorative bunting.

Why should a traveller care? If you're in Dubai or Abu Dhabi in early November, you'll witness the country at its most openly patriotic — flags on everything, patriotic messages on screens, and a genuinely shared civic moment that residents of all nationalities are invited into. It's also an easy photo opportunity: government buildings and landmarks get dressed up for the occasion. Just remember that it's business as usual, so plan your sightseeing around a normal working week rather than expecting holiday crowds or closures.

For context, Flag Day sits ahead of the bigger celebration of the season — UAE National Day on 2 December — which is the one that actually comes with public holidays. Flag Day is the appetiser; National Day is the feast.