Art Basel in Basel, Paris, Miami Beach, Hong Kong and Qatar: what sets the five fairs apart?
The Art Basel brand has five fairs on four continents. When each one takes place, what only the Basel edition offers, which fair suits buying, looking or networking, and why the satellite fairs in Basel have no confirmed dates.
"Art Basel" is now a brand with five fairs: Basel, Paris, Miami Beach, Hong Kong and Qatar. The Basel edition is the oldest, founded in 1970, and the only one whose city gave the brand its name.
This page puts the five fairs side by side with their next dates, explains what only Basel offers and helps you choose the right edition. The dates come from Art Basel announcements, as of October 2026.
When do the five fairs take place?
| Fair | Dates according to Art Basel | Previews |
|---|---|---|
| Art Basel Paris | 23 October 2026 to 25 October 2026 | vernissage the day before |
| Art Basel Miami Beach | 4 December 2026 to 6 December 2026 | not fully published |
| Art Basel Qatar, Doha | 28 January 2027 to 30 January 2027 | 26 and 27 January 2027 |
| Art Basel Hong Kong | 25 March 2027 to 27 March 2027 | not published |
| Art Basel in Basel | 17 June 2027 to 20 June 2027 | 15 June 2027 and 16 June 2027 |
The order through the year is fixed: Qatar in January, Hong Kong in March, Basel in June, Paris in October and Miami Beach in December. The Gulf fair is officially called Art Basel Qatar, though people often search for it as "Art Basel Doha".
There is no separate fair called "Art Basel Europe". Europe hosts two editions, Basel in June and Paris in October, each with its own programme and exhibitors.
What does Basel offer that the others do not?
Basel is the founding fair, set up on the initiative of the Basel gallerists Ernst Beyeler, Trudl Bruckner and Balz Hilt. In 2026, 290 galleries from 43 countries and territories showed work, and Art Basel counted 90,000 visits, VIP days included.
- Unlimited: large-scale works that fit in no booth, with 59 projects in 2026 and an Unlimited Night on the Thursday.
- Parcours: art at locations around the city, 21 projects in 2026, free to visit.
- The museums: the Fondation Beyeler, Kunstmuseum, Museum Tinguely and Schaulager are all a tram ride away.
- The city: mid-sized and walkable, with the fair right in the middle of Kleinbasel.
- The week: an exceptional density of satellite fairs and events in just a few days.
Art Basel describes Basel as its flagship, with work ranging from rare 20th-century masterpieces to sought-after contemporary artists. That is a focus, not a unique selling point: the other editions also show historical and contemporary work.
Photo: PantaRhei, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
How do Paris, Miami, Hong Kong and Qatar differ?
Paris plays on the capital, its national collections and the Grand Palais as its main venue. Public programmes run at partner venues around the fair, and some need booking.
Miami Beach combines contemporary art, the North American market, social events and the climate of a holiday destination. For Friday 4 December 2026, Art Basel gives opening hours of 11am to 6pm, but exhibitor and visitor numbers are missing from our sources.
Hong Kong is the platform for Asia, where international galleries meet collectors from the region. Qatar, on the calendar since 2026, ties the fair to the institutions and cultural scene of the Gulf; the venue and opening hours for 2027 are not yet published.
We only found solid gallery and visitor figures for 2026 for Basel. If you want to compare the editions by size, the official announcements do not yet offer a consistent basis.
Which edition suits which goal?
| Goal | Edition | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Experience where the brand began | Basel | founding fair, 290 galleries in 2026, dense museum scene |
| Buy European and modern art | Basel or Paris | high density of international galleries |
| Buy in Asia | Hong Kong | the region's platform, March 2027 |
| Get to know the American market | Miami Beach | December 2026 |
| See monumental works | Basel | the Unlimited sector |
| Meet collectors and professionals | previews in Basel, Paris or Miami | by invitation only |
| Understand the Gulf's cultural scene | Qatar | January 2027 |
| A cultural trip around the fair | Basel or Paris | museums and institutions nearby |
If you want to look rather than buy, Basel is the best choice: Unlimited, Parcours and the museums turn a fair visit into an art trip. How to visit the Basel fair, with sectors, times of day and getting there, is explained in Art Basel.
Art Basel in Basel from 17 June 2027 to 20 June 2027: the founding fair is also the one for which rooms run short earliest. The well-rated places to stay in Basel during Art Basel can be booked with free cancellation while there is still a choice. For the days around the fair there are tours and activities in Basel.
Compare places to stay for Art Basel →Partner link: booking through this link supports our editorial team at no extra cost to you.
Which fairs run in parallel in Basel?
Other fairs take place during Basel's fair week, above all Liste, aimed more at young galleries, Volta for the independent contemporary segment and Design Miami/Basel for historical and contemporary design. For none of the three could we confirm dates, venues and prices for 2026 and 2027 from a reliable source.
Do not infer these dates from Art Basel's: some satellite fairs open before the public days, others have their own previews. One fair calendar lists Design Miami from 2 to 6 December 2026, but that refers to Miami, not the Basel edition, a typical example of a mix-up.
If you are planning your evenings during fair week, check each fair's own calendar directly. What else fills the week, from museum exhibitions to events in the city, is covered in Art Basel hotels: prices and deadlines.
How do ticket prices compare?
For Basel we know the 2026 prices: 70 CHF for a day ticket and 125 CHF for the weekend, with every category in Art Basel tickets. For Paris, Miami Beach, Hong Kong and Qatar our sources give no prices we could confirm.
Tickets for every edition are sold in Art Basel's official online shop. Previews are by invitation only everywhere, while the public days mix bought tickets and invitations.
When is Basel least crowded?
Art Basel only publishes the total of 90,000 visits in 2026, with no figures by day or hour and no waiting times. What follows is experience, not statistics.
- For the art: at opening time, 11am, on Friday or Saturday, avoiding the early afternoon.
- For Unlimited: the Unlimited Night on Thursday from 7pm to 10pm, 40 CHF in 2026.
- For contacts: the preview days, by invitation only.
- To avoid: Saturday afternoon, if peace and quiet is the goal.
Seeing everything in one visit, with 290 galleries and large installations, is unrealistic. Allow several hours or two visits, and pick sectors rather than trying to cover it all.
Photo: Jennifer 8. Lee, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
What can disappoint at an art fair?
Art Basel is a sales fair. Much of the work is offered by galleries, prices are usually not displayed, some pieces are already reserved, and conversations with buyers take priority over the public.
If you are expecting a museum, you will notice. Add room, tram, food and museums and the cost of the week mounts up, as Is Basel expensive? shows.
Neither Art Basel nor the canton has put a figure on the economic impact for Basel in 2026 in our sources. Visitor numbers, reported sales and spending in the city are three different measures that should not be mixed up.
How do you combine the fair with the city?
What sets Basel apart from Paris or Miami is best seen outside the halls. The Fondation Beyeler opens its Louise Bourgeois exhibition on 13 June 2027, a few days before the fair, see Fondation Beyeler in Riehen.
The Kunstmuseum Basel and the Museum Tinguely are a tram ride away, and every museum and pass is compared in museums in Basel. The fair is at Messeplatz 10, 4058 Basel; how to get there and what applies on fair days is explained in Messe Basel.
Mid-range during fair week: if you do not need to stay right on Messeplatz, the SBB station area and Grossbasel often still have rooms when Kleinbasel is fully booked. The mid-range hotels in Basel during Art Basel are a few minutes by tram from the halls, and the visitor tax adds the BaselCard.
See mid-range hotels for Art Basel →Partner link: booking through this link supports our editorial team at no extra cost to you.Sources: Art Basel (Basel flagship 2026, 2026 final report, Basel guide 2026, Miami Beach exhibitors 2026, Paris press dossier 2026, dates and applications, events), grantpierrus.com (fair calendar 2026 and 2027).
Frequently asked questions
Where does Art Basel take place?
When is Art Basel 2027 in Basel?
When is Art Basel Miami Beach?
Is there an Art Basel in Doha?
What is the difference between Art Basel and Liste?
Livia Gysin
Livia grew up in Kleinbasel and started out as a gallery attendant in a museum on the Rhine before she began writing. She knows on which trade fair days tram line 2 is packed and which rooms are still empty in the morning. She only recommends what she has visited herself, ticket in hand.
