Saudi Arabia Ramadan Moon Sighting: Crescent Confirmed, Ramadan Begins as Communities Align Schedules Across the Kingdom

Saudi Arabia’s Ramadan moon sighting process has moved from anticipation to confirmation, setting the start of the fasting month and triggering an immediate nationwide shift in daily life. The Kingdom’s official determination that the Ramadan crescent has been sighted means the first full day of fasting is Wednesday, February 18, 2026 ET, with the first night of Ramadan worship, including Taraweeh prayers, beginning Tuesday night, February 17, 2026 ET.

The announcement matters well beyond Saudi Arabia’s borders. Many Muslim communities worldwide use Saudi Arabia’s decision as a reference point when setting their own start date, even if their local practice ultimately differs by a day due to regional sighting criteria.

What happened in the Saudi Arabia Ramadan moon sighting

Saudi Arabia’s established process relies on observing the new crescent at sunset on the 29th day of the preceding lunar month. Once sightings are verified through official channels, the start of Ramadan is declared.

This year’s decision locks in immediate changes across the Kingdom:

• Mosques transition into Ramadan programming overnight, with Taraweeh prayers commencing on the first evening.

• Workplaces and schools adjust operating hours to reflect fasting routines.

• Households shift meal schedules to pre-dawn suhoor and sunset iftar.

• Public life moves toward later-night activity as families and communities gather after breaking the fast.

Behind the headline: why the sighting decision is so high-stakes

Ramadan start-day certainty is not just a religious marker; it is a national scheduling switch. The incentive for a clear, centralized call is coordination at scale. A unified start date reduces confusion for:

• Schools and universities setting class times and exam plans

• Employers managing shifts, productivity expectations, and accommodation requests

• Transportation and service sectors that see altered demand patterns

• Mosques and charities coordinating nightly prayers, iftar programs, and donations

At the same time, the moon sighting carries reputational weight. A credible, orderly process reinforces public trust that the country’s religious calendar is being handled consistently, especially in a month when attendance, media attention, and communal participation surge.

Stakeholders: who gains clarity and who carries pressure

Several groups feel the impact immediately:

• Families: meal planning, childcare, and sleep patterns change overnight.

• Mosques and volunteers: crowd management, parking, overflow spaces, security, and sanitation become daily concerns.

• Retail and food supply chains: demand spikes for staples and iftar-focused goods, with sharp peaks near weekends and the last ten nights.

• Charities: donation volume rises, but so does the operational burden of serving more people consistently.

• Pilgrimage and religious tourism ecosystem: scheduling certainty helps visitors plan worship and travel, but it also concentrates demand into narrower windows.

What we still don’t know

Even with the start confirmed, several practical pieces remain variable and will become clearer over the next several days:

• Whether Ramadan will complete in 29 days or 30 days, which determines the Eid al-Fitr date

• How quickly local institutions finalize and publish revised timetables nationwide

• The scale of nightly mosque attendance in different cities, which affects crowd-control measures and traffic patterns

• The extent of price pressure on high-demand food categories, driven by demand concentration and late-night shopping

Second-order effects: what changes after the first week

Ramadan’s early days often look different from its later rhythm. The first week is usually an adjustment period, followed by a stabilization of routines, then another surge in the final ten nights. In Saudi Arabia, the ripple effects can include:

• A measurable shift of commerce into evening hours

• Greater demand on late-night transport and delivery services

• Increased strain on volunteer networks as daily iftar programs scale up

• A sharper spotlight on workplace accommodations, especially for outdoor and physically demanding jobs

A quieter but important second-order effect is sleep disruption. Families reconfigure sleep around pre-dawn meals and night prayers, which can influence school performance, workplace safety, and road risk during peak post-iftar hours.

What happens next: 5 realistic scenarios to watch

1. Stable nationwide alignment
   If schedules are rolled out smoothly, daily routines settle quickly, and attendance stabilizes after the first few nights.

2. Regional crowd surges
   If certain mosques draw unusually large crowds, local authorities may introduce overflow arrangements, traffic controls, or added safety measures.

3. End-of-month date swing
   If the next crescent is confirmed earlier, Ramadan ends at 29 days and Eid arrives sooner; if not, Eid shifts by one day. This is the most common planning challenge for employers and schools.

4. Charity demand spikes late
   If donations accelerate in the final ten nights, food and logistics operations may need emergency scale-up to meet demand.

5. Travel compression near Eid
   If many families time travel around the end-of-Ramadan window, transportation and hospitality demand tightens rapidly, raising prices and crowding capacity.

Why it matters

Saudi Arabia’s Ramadan moon sighting decision sets the tempo for a month that reshapes daily life, worship, and public schedules across the Kingdom. It also influences millions of people abroad who look to Saudi timing as a signal, even when local practice differs. With the start now confirmed, attention turns to execution: how institutions manage the first week’s adjustment, how communities sustain nightly worship and charitable support, and how the month’s end will be timed once the next crescent decision arrives.