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Culture · Miami Beach
The leading modern and contemporary art fair in the United States, held at the Miami Beach Convention Center in early December, at the center of a week when Miami and Miami Beach host dozens of satellite fairs, exhibitions and public art.
In the photo: Miami Beach
Illustrative images. The pictures in this guide are illustrations based on the real place, not photographs, and may differ from it.
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Art Basel Miami Beach — Miami Beach
In early December, during Miami Art Week; the final days of the fair are open to the public.
December
Dates change every year: check this year's date before you travel.
The festival
In early December, Miami Beach hosts Art Basel Miami Beach, regarded as the principal art fair in the Americas. Galleries from many countries occupy the Miami Beach Convention Center in South Beach, showing paintings, sculptures, photographs, installations and works by modern and contemporary artists — from established names to emerging talents — for collectors, museums and the general public.
The fair is the American edition of Art Basel, founded in 1970 in the Swiss city of Basel. The first Miami Beach edition took place in 2002, and since then the event has transformed the first week of December in the city. Around it, Miami Art Week developed, with dozens of satellite fairs set up in tents, hotels and warehouses across Miami Beach and Miami, plus museum exhibitions, parties and interventions in public spaces. The week draws visitors from around the world.
The first days of the main fair are reserved for invited guests; afterward it opens to the public with paid admission. The pavilion is divided into sections: the main galleries, an area for young galleries showing recent work, another for early-career artists, a section dedicated to historical projects and solo presentations, a sector for large-scale works and a space for art magazines. The program also includes talks with artists, curators and collectors.
Satellite fairs have different profiles, from the most experimental to design-focused events; some take place in large tents on the beach near the hotels on Collins Avenue, while others are in neighborhoods like Wynwood, known for its murals, and the Design District. The week also activates local museums, which often open major exhibitions at this time, and South Beach’s Art Deco architecture provides the setting for much of it.
The audience is varied: collectors and curators circulate in the first days, and on the public days students, artists and curious visitors attend. Many galleries in Miami and Miami Beach open special shows during the week, and hotels and brands host exhibitions and gatherings in their spaces. Over the years, the fair has helped the city gain new museums and art venues. For lovers of contemporary art, it is the most concentrated week of the year in the Americas; for visitors passing through Miami, it’s a chance to see the city at its most cultural.
The main fair pavilions, with galleries from several continents, and the large-scale works sector, which often occupies spaces outside the booths. The young galleries and early-career artist sectors, good for discovering new names. The talks with artists and curators in the fair’s program. The satellite fairs in beach tents near the Collins Avenue hotels. Wynwood’s murals and galleries and the shops and showrooms in the Design District in Miami. Exhibitions at Pérez Art Museum Miami and The Bass, which often open shows during the week. South Beach’s Art Deco architecture, just a few blocks from the convention center.
Buy tickets for the main fair in advance through the official website; public days are limited and there are early-entry, weekend and discounted options. Allow at least one full day for the main fair and another day for satellite fairs and Wynwood. Traffic between Miami Beach and Miami is heavy during the week; prefer ride-hailing apps, shared bikes or walking within Miami Beach, and leave early to cross the bay. The convention center has its own parking garage, but it fills up on the busiest days. Many satellite fairs require separate tickets, and parties and closed events need invitations or prior RSVP. December is usually warm and dry in Miami; choose lightweight clothing and shoes for a lot of walking, and bring a water bottle.
Art Basel week is one of the most expensive and sought-after times of the year in Miami Beach; book accommodation months in advance, either in Miami Beach or, for more options, in Miami. Check the official website for dates, public days and tickets, and consult the schedules of satellite fairs and museums, which are often released only a few weeks beforehand. If possible, arrive a few days before the public days to take full advantage of Miami Art Week.
In the city
December
Your questions
Every early December. The initial days are reserved for invited guests, and then the fair opens to the public with tickets.
It’s the collection of art events that formed around Art Basel Miami Beach: satellite fairs, museum and gallery exhibitions and public art interventions spread across Miami and Miami Beach.
Yes, the main fair requires a ticket, sold on the official website. Satellite fairs have their own tickets, and some public art associated with the week can be seen without a ticket.
Festivals and events in the United States
JanuaryOn the last Saturday in January; the children’s parade takes place on the previous Saturday.
Tampa’s pirate festival in Florida: a pirate ship sails into the bay with hundreds of boats, the pirates take the key to the city and march along Bayshore Boulevard, throwing beaded necklaces to the costumed crowd.
JanuaryOn the morning of January 1; if the 1st falls on a Sunday, the parade is held on Monday, January 2.
New Year’s Day parade in Pasadena, near Los Angeles, featuring floats completely covered with flowers, seeds and other natural materials, marching bands and mounted units along Colorado Boulevard. On the same day, the Rose Bowl stadium hosts the college football game of the same name.
February/MarchOn a Saturday night, a few weeks after Lunar New Year, between February and early March; the celebration in Chinatown lasts several days.
San Francisco Lunar New Year nighttime illuminated parade organized by the Chinese Chamber of Commerce: floats, lion dance, acrobats, bands and, at the end, the Golden Dragon carried by dozens of people, amid firecrackers and lanterns.
MarchOn March 17, St. Patrick’s Day; if the date falls on a Sunday, the parade is moved to Saturday, March 16.
Irish parade along Fifth Avenue in Manhattan on St. Patrick’s Day: bagpipers, bands, Irish associations and groups from across the country march on foot, with no floats, passing in front of St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
MarchOn a Sunday in March, closing Miami Carnival.
A Latin street party that takes over Calle Ocho, the main street of Little Havana in Miami, on a Sunday in March: music stages, dance floors, Cuban and Latin American food stalls, and lots of people dressed in the colors of their countries’ flags.
March/AprilFrom mid or late March to mid April, lasting about four weeks, following the blooming of the cherry trees in Washington.
Spring festival in Washington that celebrates the cherry trees donated by Tokyo in 1912: weeks of events around the Tidal Basin and the National Mall, including a kite festival, a parade on Constitution Avenue, fireworks and a big Japanese street festival.
