Ramadan 2027 is expected to begin around 8 February, so brands in the Gulf and Lebanon should agree strategy, budget and channel split by early January, with creative already in production. Starting later means briefing, approving and booking in the same week your audience begins preparing for the month.
Ramadan 2027 is expected to begin around 8 February, with Eid al-Fitr around 9 or 10 March. The exact dates depend on the moon sighting and are confirmed close to the time, so treat them as a planning guide rather than a fixed calendar.
Those dates change the job. Because the Islamic calendar is shorter than the Gregorian one, Ramadan arrives about eleven days earlier each year. A plan that worked last year cannot simply be copied across. In 2027, the run-up to Ramadan falls straight after the New Year break, when many teams are only just back at their desks.
If you wait until late January to start, you will be briefing creative, approving budgets and booking media in the same week your audience starts preparing. That is why we tell clients the plan is due in January, and the thinking should start well before it.
Why January is the real deadline.
Good Ramadan campaigns are built backwards from the first day of the month. Work through what has to happen, and the calendar fills up quickly:
- Creative takes longest. Ramadan content needs its own concept, its own tone and often Arabic and English versions. It cannot be a resized version of your Q4 campaign.
- Approvals slow down. Regional sign-off across several markets, plus any franchise or head office review, can add weeks.
- Premium inventory goes early. Sponsorships and high-demand placements are the first to be committed.
- Platforms need learning time. Campaigns perform better when they have run and optimised before the peak, not when they launch on the first night.
So by early January you want the strategy, budget and channel split agreed, with creative in production. December is for decisions. January is for finishing.
Plan the month in phases.
Treating Ramadan as one flat four-week campaign is the most common mistake we see. Behaviour changes through the month, and your plan should change with it.
Before Ramadan. People are stocking up, planning gatherings and deciding where to shop. This is the moment for awareness and for getting your offer in front of them early. In 2027 this phase falls in the second half of January.
The first days. Routines reset. Daily schedules shift around fasting, iftar and suhoor, and content habits shift with them. Keep your messaging warm and relevant, and let the commercial push take a step back.
Mid-month. Attention settles into a rhythm. This is a strong window for storytelling and for testing what is working, then moving budget towards it.
The last ten days. Gifting and Eid shopping take over, and the intent to buy rises. This is usually where performance budgets should be at their heaviest, so hold money back for it.
Eid and after. Many plans stop on the last day of Ramadan. Eid itself is a moment of travel, gifting and family time. Keep something in reserve to carry through the holiday.
Schedule around the day, not the clock.
During Ramadan the day has a different shape. Activity tends to move later, with peaks around iftar and through the evening into suhoor. Do not assume your usual dayparting still holds.
Use last year's data from your own accounts as a starting point, then adjust for the new dates. Set your schedules by the local iftar time in each market, because it shifts through the month and differs between cities. Check your customer service hours too. If your ads run late into the night, someone needs to answer the messages they create, whether that is your team or an AI customer agent.
Get the tone right.
Ramadan is a religious month before it is a commercial one. Audiences notice brands that treat it as a sales event with a crescent moon added to the corner.
- Lead with something useful or generous, not only a discount.
- Write the Arabic properly from the start. Translated English rarely lands.
- Check every visual and line with people from the markets you are targeting.
- Remember that the audience in Riyadh, Dubai and Beirut will not respond in the same way.
Your January checklist.
- 01Agree the goal. Pick the one number the campaign is measured on.
- 02Lock the budget. Include a reserve for the last ten days and Eid.
- 03Split by phase and channel. Do not spread it evenly across the month.
- 04Finish the creative. Arabic and English, in every format you need.
- 05Prepare your site and stock. Check landing pages, delivery cut-offs and customer service hours.
- 06Set up tracking. Confirm your reporting works before the money starts to move.
Ramadan rewards the brands that show up prepared. If you start now, January becomes a month of final checks, not a month of panic. Our media planning team can build the plan with you, and if you are still deciding how to split your budget between platforms, read TikTok vs Snapchat: how to decide where the budget goes.
Common questions.
When is Ramadan 2027?
Ramadan 2027 is expected to begin around 8 February, with Eid al-Fitr around 9 or 10 March. Exact dates depend on the moon sighting and are confirmed by local authorities close to the time.
When should we start planning Ramadan campaigns?
For 2027, start in the last quarter of 2026. Aim to have strategy, budget and channel split agreed by early January, with creative already in production.
When is the best time to spend during Ramadan?
It depends on your category, but the last ten days are usually strongest for purchase intent, as gifting and Eid shopping take over. Do not spread your budget evenly across the month.
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