Art Basel Miami Beach 2025: Where to Be and Why During Miami Art Week
December 1-7, 2025 | Where Culture, Capital, and Connection Collide
Yes, 283 galleries from 43 countries will fill the Miami Beach Convention Center. Yes, 80,000+ people will pass through those doors. Yes, the week generates over $500 million in economic impact across satellite fairs, brand activations, pop-ups, concerts, fashion shows, and artist collaborations. The collectors, founders, investors, and tastemakers who fly in? They're here for the convention center and everything orbiting around it. The surrounding events create the buzz that makes Miami Art Week unlike any other fair on the calendar.
Miami Art Week is a masterclass in manufactured serendipity. The art is the anchor. The access is the asset.
This guide is designed to help you navigate both.
Understanding the Landscape
First-timers often make the mistake of treating Art Basel like a single event. It's not. It's an ecosystem: a week-long constellation of fairs, exhibitions, parties, and private gatherings scattered across Miami Beach, Wynwood, the Design District, and downtown.
The Main Fair Art Basel Miami Beach runs December 5-7 for public ticket holders ($88 single day, $105 for First Access). VIP preview days are December 3-4, accessible by invitation or application. If you're serious about collecting or dealing, the preview days matter. If you're here for the cultural energy and networking, the public days work fine, and frankly, the satellite fairs are where you'll find more accessible conversations anyway.
The Satellite Fairs This is where the texture lives. Over a dozen fairs run concurrently, each with its own character:
Art Miami (Dec 2-7) at One Herald Plaza draws serious collectors to its waterfront tents
Design Miami (Dec 2-7) blurs the line between art and functional design
Scope Miami Beach (Dec 2-7) on Ocean Drive skews younger and more experimental
NADA Miami (Dec 2-6) at Ice Palace Studios showcases emerging galleries
Untitled Art (Dec 3-7) cultivates a curatorial, museum-quality atmosphere
Aqua Art Miami (Dec 3-7) transforms the Aqua Hotel into a walkable gallery experience
Each fair has its own VIP preview windows, often the best time to attend if you can secure access.
The Neighborhoods Geography matters during Art Week:
Miami Beach is ground zero: the Convention Center, Ocean Drive fairs, and the hotel circuit along Collins Avenue.
Wynwood becomes a 24/7 street festival. Mana Wynwood alone hosts Red Dot Miami, Spectrum Miami, and the Fashion Art Basel Pop-Up. The surrounding galleries, murals, and pop-up spaces make it worth multiple visits.
The Design District offers a more curated, upscale experience. This is where you'll find the Craig Robins Collection, the Cartier exhibition, Dolce & Gabbana at ICA Miami, and some of the week's most exclusive private events.
Day-by-Day: Where to Be and Why
Monday, December 1
The Soft Open
The week begins before most visitors arrive, which is precisely why you should be here.
Morning/Afternoon: AfriKin Art Fair opens at 11am in North Miami, celebrating African diaspora art with a community-focused atmosphere that's refreshingly unhurried.
Evening (6:30-10pm): The Official Miami Art Week Kickoff Party at The Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables. This is VIP invitation-only, but if you can secure access, it's the first major gathering of the week's key players. The Biltmore's setting adds old-money gravitas that sets the tone.
All Week Begins: The Ritz-Carlton South Beach unveils four monumental art installations. Worth a walk-through to see how luxury hospitality intersects with the art world.
Strategic Note: Monday is for early arrivals and insiders. Lighter crowds, easier conversations, and the chance to orient yourself before the chaos.
Tuesday, December 2
The Satellite Surge
The major satellite fairs open, and the energy shifts noticeably.
11am: Art Miami and Design Miami both open. Art Miami's VIP First View (11am-1pm) is invitation-only and worth attending if you have access. The serious collectors move through early.
12pm: Scope Miami Beach opens on Ocean Drive (Platinum First View from 12-4pm is invite-only). The beachfront location makes this one of the more pleasant fairs to browse.
5pm-9pm: photoMIAMI opens its preview evenings at Miami Art Week Gallery in Wynwood. Photography-focused and more intimate.
Evening Strategy: Wynwood comes alive tonight. Red Dot Miami opens tomorrow, but the surrounding galleries and restaurants are already hosting soft openings and preview events. Walk the neighborhood, see what's happening at the Mana Wynwood complex, and grab dinner somewhere you can linger.
Insider Move: Many galleries host private dinners on Tuesday night before the main fair opens. These are where relationships form. If you know anyone exhibiting or collecting, ask what's happening.
Wednesday, December 3
VIP Day One
Art Basel's invitation-only First Choice preview begins. If you have VIP access, you're at the Convention Center today. If you don't, the satellite circuit is in full swing.
9am-6pm: Tech Basel Miami AI Summit at Mayfair House Hotel & Garden. Leaders from Google, Meta, and Hugging Face speak. This is where the tech-meets-art crowd converges. If you're a founder or investor, this might be more relevant than the fairs.
12pm: Red Dot Miami and Aqua Art Miami open (VIP previews starting at 3pm and 5pm respectively).
3pm-10pm: Aqua Art Miami's VIP preview transforms the Aqua Hotel into an intimate gallery walk. Hotel-based fairs have a different energy: smaller rooms, quieter conversations, easier to connect with gallerists.
Evening: Osaka Nikkei hosts a 12-seat Bordeaux Wine Dinner pairing six vintages with Japanese-Peruvian cuisine. This is the kind of intimate, curated experience that defines The Frynge approach: small rooms, exceptional taste, genuine conversation. Book ahead if seats remain.
Also Tonight: Mana Fashion Art Basel Pop-Up hosts its VIP Reception (invite-only) at Mana Wynwood. If fashion and art intersect in your world, this is worth pursuing.
After Dark: Untitled Art and INK MIAMI open. The Collins Avenue hotel circuit starts buzzing. Check out the Dorchester Hotel which hosts the INK fair.
Thursday, December 4
The Power Day
This is the most concentrated day of the week. VIP preview continues at Art Basel, the satellite fairs are fully operational, and the evening events hit their peak.
All Day: Work the satellite fairs during daylight. Art Miami, Design Miami, Scope, Red Dot, Aqua, NADA, Untitled, INK: they're all running. Create a route that makes geographic sense (Convention Center area → Collins Avenue hotels → Wynwood) rather than zigzagging across Miami.
Evening: Art Basel Awards Ceremony at the Convention Center. This is the inaugural global Art Basel Awards in partnership with BOSS. Invitation-only, but the surrounding energy at the Convention Center will be high.
Evening: Hakkasan x KOLI at Fontainebleau Miami Beach. A MICHELIN-level collaboration pairing Chef Hing Fung Matt Chan's cuisine with Reserva de la Familia tequilas. The Fontainebleau is a scene unto itself during Art Week.
Evening: Fragmented Treasures VIP Launch at Roca Tile in the Design District. Cocktails, guest DJs, and a design exhibition exploring material transformation.
Strategic Note: Thursday evening is when everyone is out. The trick is choosing your lane: high-profile dinners and events, or the more serendipitous energy of Wynwood. Both have value, but you can't do both well.
Friday, December 5
Public Days Begin
Art Basel Miami Beach opens to the public. The fair itself becomes more crowded, which actually makes the satellite fairs and private events more appealing for networking.
11am-6pm: Art Basel Miami Beach public hours. If you haven't been inside yet, go, but consider late afternoon when crowds thin slightly.
All Day: This is a strong day to revisit satellite fairs for second looks and follow-up conversations with gallerists you met earlier in the week.
Evening: NYLON House by e.l.f. Cosmetics. Invitation-only celebration of art, sound, and culture. Past attendees have included Hailey Bieber and Camila Cabello. It's a scene, if that's your scene.
After Dark: LIV Nightclub's Art Week series runs all week (Tiësto, Black Coffee, John Summit, Gunna on various nights). Floyd Miami hosts electronic acts. The party circuit is fully operational.
Saturday, December 6
Marathon Day
Everything is open. Everyone is here. Pace yourself.
Strategy: If you haven't explored the Design District properly, today is the day. The Craig Robins Collection rehang ("Walking On Air") features over 1,700 works. The Prelude, curated by Rashid Johnson at Berkowitz Contemporary Foundation, is excellent. Cartier's Panthère Into the Wild exhibition and Dolce & Gabbana at ICA Miami round out a full day in one neighborhood.
Alternative: If you've done the Design District, spend Saturday in Wynwood. Mana Wynwood has multiple fairs under one roof (Red Dot, Spectrum, the Fashion Pop-Up), and the surrounding streets offer galleries, murals, pop-ups, and restaurants worth exploring.
Evening: The party circuit peaks. Electronic acts across multiple venues (Jamie Jones, Joseph Capriati, Kerri Chandler, Richie Hawtin, Skepta, Green Velvet are all in town). Choose based on your taste and stamina. LIV at the Fontainebleau remains the marquee destination.
Sunday, December 7
The Final Push
Most fairs close today, many with reduced hours. The energy shifts to wrap-up mode.
11am-6pm: Final hours at Art Basel, Art Miami, Design Miami, Scope, and most satellite fairs. Some deals happen on Sunday as galleries look to close sales. If you've been considering a piece all week, today is negotiation day.
Afternoon/Evening: Surf Lodge Sundays debuts at Palm Tree Club Miami. The Palm Tree Crew x Jayma Cardoso collaboration. A more relaxed vibe to close the week.
Evening: LIV's Sunday party (with a rumored surprise guest) traditionally draws a strong closing-night crowd.
Strategic Principles for the Week
1. Arrivals matter. The earlier you arrive, the less crowded your experience. Monday and Tuesday visitors have a fundamentally different week than Friday arrivals.
2. VIP access is valuable but not essential. Preview days offer first looks and serious collectors. But satellite fairs, dinners, and the unofficial circuit often deliver better conversations than fighting through VIP crowds at the Convention Center.
3. Choose your neighborhoods. You cannot do everything. Pick 2-3 zones to know well rather than skimming everything superficially. Deep presence beats broad coverage.
4. Evening events are the real programming. The fairs close at 6 or 7pm. The dinners, parties, and private gatherings are where relationships form. Prioritize accordingly.
5. Build in recovery time. Miami Art Week is a marathon. Schedule at least one afternoon where you're not rushing between fairs. Sit by a pool. Have a long lunch. The best conversations happen when you're not checking your watch.
6. Follow the invite trail. Every conversation this week should end with "what else are you going to this week?" The best events aren't announced publicly. They travel by word of mouth. Be curious. Be direct. Ask what's happening tonight.
The Bottom Line
Art Basel Miami Beach is one of the most concentrated gatherings of cultural capital in the world. But the badge isn't the point. It's a permission structure for a week of deliberate collision between art, design, technology, fashion, hospitality, and capital.
The fair is the center of gravity. Everything interesting orbits around it.
See you in Miami.