Ramadan 2027 marketing calendar: ad dates, phases and budget split
Ramadan 2027 is expected to start around 8 February. A week-by-week ad calendar for small businesses, with key dates, phases and a worked budget split.
By the Adrizq team · · 9 min read
Short answer
Ramadan 2027 is expected to begin around Monday 8 February, with Eid al-Fitr around Tuesday 9 March. Have your creative ready by mid-January, warm up audiences in the three weeks before Ramadan, spend most in the first week and the last ten nights, then run Eid and post-Eid follow-up ads until about 23 March.
Ramadan 2027 is expected to start on or around Monday 8 February and end with Eid al-Fitr on or around Tuesday 9 March. For a small business running its own Meta or TikTok ads, that means creative should be finished by mid-January, warm-up ads should run from about 18 January, and the heaviest spend belongs in the first week of Ramadan and the run-up to Eid.
This calendar gives you the expected dates, a week-by-week plan, a worked budget split and the differences that matter by country. Every date below is an expectation: the start and end of Ramadan depend on moon sighting or on the calculation method your community follows.
When is Ramadan 2027 expected to start and end?
Ramadan 1448 is expected to begin on Monday 8 February 2027, and Eid al-Fitr is expected on Tuesday 9 March 2027, according to the Fiqh Council of North America calculation published by moonsighting.com. Astronomers quoted by Khaleej Times give the same start for the UAE, with Eid on 9 March, or 10 March if the crescent is not sighted on 8 March.
| Moment | Expected date (2027) | Source or method |
|---|---|---|
| First day of Ramadan | Monday 8 February | FCNA calculation (moonsighting.com); UAE astronomers (Khaleej Times) |
| Last ten nights begin | Evening of Saturday 27 February | Our calculation from an 8 February start |
| 27th night | Evening of Friday 5 March | Our calculation from an 8 February start |
| Eid al-Fitr | Tuesday 9 March (10 March in some places) | FCNA; UAE astronomers |
| Eid al-Adha | Sunday 16 May (16 or 17 May in the UAE) | Umm al-Qura calendar (moonsighting.com); Khaleej Times |
In the UK, many mosques follow local sighting, so the start or Eid can fall a day later than a calculated date. Write "expected" in any ad that names a date, and avoid printing a fixed Eid date on creative you cannot change.
How early should Ramadan ads start?
Start showing ads two to three weeks before Ramadan, and have the creative finished before that. Many shoppers plan ahead, so ads that appear only on the first day of Ramadan arrive after some decisions are already made.
The evidence points the same way across regions:
- In the Middle East and North Africa, a TGM Research survey cited by Google found 1 in 5 people start preparing 3 to 4 weeks before Ramadan.
- In the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, Google saw searches for "house cleaning before Ramadan" rise 23 times and "iftar special recipes" rise 19 times between 26 February and 22 March 2023, the weeks before Ramadan began (Google).
- In Indonesia, a Google and Ipsos study found 93% of Ramadan purchases are planned and nearly half happen in the first week of Ramadan (Google).
If nearly half of purchases happen in week one, your audience needs to know you before week one. That is the job of the warm-up phase.
What does the week-by-week Ramadan 2027 calendar look like?
The plan below runs from today to the end of March. Dates assume Ramadan starts on 8 February; if your community starts a day later, shift the Ramadan rows by a day.
| Dates (2026 to 2027) | Phase | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Now to 3 January | Groundwork | Fix product pages, photograph stock, decide offers, confirm stock levels and courier cut-offs |
| 4 to 17 January | Build creative | Write and design 3 to 5 ads per product line, in each language you sell in |
| 18 January to 7 February | Warm-up | Awareness and engagement ads, pre-Ramadan products (dates, decor, calendars), grow retargeting audiences |
| 8 to 14 February | Ramadan week 1 | Highest-intent selling: essentials, iftar and sahur products, gift pre-orders |
| 15 to 26 February | Mid-Ramadan | Refresh creative, launch Eid outfit and gift ads, retarget week-one visitors |
| 27 February to 8 March | Last ten nights and Eid run-up | Eid gifts and outfits with honest delivery cut-offs; reduce spend on items that cannot arrive in time |
| 9 to 11 March | Eid | A short greeting, local same-day offers if you can deliver, no hard selling |
| 12 to 23 March | Post-Eid | Thank buyers, ask for genuine reviews, offer restocks, start planning for Eid al-Adha |
Two phases need more detail. The Eid run-up is covered in our Eid al-Fitr ad guide, and creative ideas for each phase are in Ramadan ad ideas by business type.
What should the warm-up ads say?
Warm-up ads introduce what you sell and why it suits the month ahead. Good warm-up topics are practical: a Ramadan pantry list for a grocer, a size guide for an Eid outfit range, an attar sampler for gifting. Their main job is to build an audience of people who have viewed your products or engaged with your page, so you can show them a direct offer in week one.
Why reduce spend near the end?
Ads that sell something which cannot arrive before Eid create refunds and complaints. Work back from each courier's last delivery date and switch those ads to gift cards, collection or "arrives after Eid" wording.
How should a small business split its Ramadan budget?
Put about 70% of your budget into Ramadan itself, weighted to the first week and the Eid run-up, and keep a smaller share for the warm-up and the follow-up. Treat the split below as a starting point to adjust against your own results, not a benchmark.
Worked example (made-up brand). Noor Pantry, a UK online grocer selling dates and iftar boxes, has £1,500 for Meta ads across Ramadan 2027.
| Phase | Share | Budget | Approx. per day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warm-up (18 Jan to 7 Feb, 21 days) | 20% | £300 | £14 |
| Ramadan week 1 (8 to 14 Feb, 7 days) | 25% | £375 | £54 |
| Mid-Ramadan (15 to 26 Feb, 12 days) | 15% | £225 | £19 |
| Last ten nights and Eid run-up (27 Feb to 8 Mar, 10 days) | 30% | £450 | £45 |
| Post-Eid (12 to 23 Mar, 12 days) | 10% | £150 | £13 |
| Total | 100% | £1,500 |
Noor Pantry sells essentials, so week one gets a large share. A modest fashion brand would move more money into the Eid run-up, because outfits are bought for Eid. A Muslim app should look at last year's installs by day before choosing its split.
No ad platform publishes Ramadan cost data, so do not plan around a fixed price rise. Our guide to Ramadan ad costs shows how to check what you paid last year in your own account and how to set a spending ceiling.
What changes by country?
The calendar shape holds everywhere, but the dates, languages and buying habits differ. Do not treat Muslim customers as one market.
| Market | What to plan for |
|---|---|
| UK | Local moon sighting can move dates by a day. The think tank Equi estimates Ramadan's UK economic impact at £1.3 billion a year, including about £640 million in retail spending such as Eid clothing and gifts (Equi). |
| US and Canada | Many communities follow the FCNA calculation, so dates are known in advance (moonsighting.com). In Canada, the most common home languages among Muslims are English, Arabic, French and Urdu (Statistics Canada). |
| Gulf and wider MENA | Google counted 7.2 billion searches in MENA during Ramadan 2023, up 21% on 2022 (Google). Plan Arabic creative alongside English. |
| Indonesia and Malaysia | Buying is front-loaded in Indonesia (see above), and Eid is celebrated as Lebaran and Hari Raya Aidilfitri, with its own customs and language. |
When in the day should Ramadan ads run?
Daily routines change, so check your own hourly results rather than keeping last month's schedule. In Indonesia, Google reported that YouTube watch time during Ramadan 2023 rose 230% during sahur and 33% during the commute and lunch, but only 4% during iftar, compared with before Ramadan (Google). That is one platform in one country. Use it as a prompt to look at your own results by hour, and keep enough budget available for late night and pre-dawn delivery if your data supports it.
What should you leave out of your Ramadan calendar?
Some tactics cause ad rejections or break advertising rules, whatever the season.
- Countdowns that are not real. The UK CAP Code says marketers "must not falsely state" that a product or its terms will be available only for a limited time (rule 3.30, ASA). If your offer ends on a date, say the date and keep to it.
- Copy that addresses the viewer's religion. Meta's Advertising Standards say ads "must not contain content that asserts or implies personal attributes", including religion (Meta). "Are you fasting this Ramadan?" can fall foul of this. See can you say "Muslim" in a Facebook ad?.
- Religious targeting. Meta removed detailed targeting options based on religious practices and groups in January 2022 (Meta). Plan to reach people through location, language, interests in your product category and your own retargeting audiences.
If you want a second pair of eyes on wording, Adrizq checks ad copy for invented urgency, unsupported claims and religious-benefit claims before you publish. The principles it checks against are set out in how the standard works.
Your Ramadan 2027 checklist
- Put 8 February, 27 February, 9 March and 16 May 2027 in your calendar as expected dates, with a note to confirm locally.
- Confirm stock and each courier's last delivery date before Eid.
- Finish 3 to 5 ads per product line, in each language you sell in, by 17 January.
- Start warm-up ads around 18 January and build retargeting audiences.
- Weight spend to Ramadan week one and the last ten nights, adjusted for what you sell.
- Check results by day and by hour; move budget to what is working.
- Switch undeliverable products to gift cards or "arrives after Eid" wording from late February.
- Run a thank-you and review request after Eid, then start planning for Eid al-Adha around 16 May.
Frequently asked questions
When does Ramadan 2027 start?
Ramadan 2027 is expected to begin on Monday 8 February 2027, according to the Fiqh Council of North America calculation published on moonsighting.com, and UAE astronomers expect the same date. Communities that rely on local moon sighting, including many UK mosques, may start a day later. Treat the date as expected until your community confirms it.
When is Eid al-Fitr 2027?
Eid al-Fitr 2027 is expected on Tuesday 9 March 2027 under the FCNA calculation. UAE astronomers say it could be 10 March if the crescent is not sighted on the evening of 8 March. Plan Eid delivery cut-offs around 9 March, but avoid printing a fixed Eid date on ads you cannot edit quickly.
How many weeks before Ramadan should I start advertising?
Start warm-up ads two to three weeks before Ramadan, which for 2027 means around 18 January, and finish your creative before then. A TGM Research survey cited by Google found 1 in 5 people in the Middle East and North Africa start preparing three to four weeks before Ramadan, and Google found most Indonesian Ramadan purchases are planned.
Should I spend more at the start or the end of Ramadan?
It depends on what you sell. Essentials such as dates, groceries and iftar boxes sell early: a Google and Ipsos study found nearly half of Indonesian Ramadan purchases happen in the first week. Eid outfits and gifts sell later, in the last ten nights. Split your budget to match when your own customers buy, and check last year's sales by day.
When is Ramadan in 2028?
Ramadan 2028 is expected to begin on Friday 28 January 2028, with Eid al-Fitr expected on Saturday 26 February 2028, according to the FCNA dates on moonsighting.com. On those FCNA dates Ramadan moves about 11 days earlier each year (19 February in 2026, 8 February in 2027), so shift your calendar rather than copying it.