Art Basel Miami Beach and how to plan the busiest week of the year

The main fair fills the Miami Beach Convention Center with galleries from the Americas, Europe, Asia and beyond, showing modern and contemporary work in booths arranged by section. Large booths from major galleries sit alongside sections for younger galleries and focused presentations.

• Read the exhibitor list before you arrive and mark your priority booths on the floor plan.
• The first days are preview days for invited collectors, and they are the busiest for sales. Public days follow and are often easier for looking.
• Plan at least a full day for the main fair if you want to see it properly, with breaks.
• Many galleries bring their strongest works, and some booths are built around a single artist.

The same week, satellite fairs open across Miami Beach and Wynwood, ranging from fairs focused on emerging galleries to fairs dedicated to design or specific regions. They are smaller, often less formal, and a good place to find younger artists and galleries.

• Group satellite fairs by location, one day on the Miami Beach side, one day on the mainland.
• Expect a wide range of quality. Move quickly and stop where something holds your attention.
• Satellite fairs are often where collectors make their first contact with a gallery they will follow for years.

The week is crowded and traffic is heavy, so planning by geography matters more than planning by schedule.

• Book lodging early, and stay near the area where you will spend most of your time.
• Plan each day around one side of Biscayne Bay. Crossing the causeways at busy hours takes time.
• Keep one afternoon for Miami galleries in Wynwood, the Design District and Little Haiti. Our miami art galleries guide covers those neighborhoods.
• Private collections open to the public often have special hours that week. Check each one's website.
• Carry water, wear light clothes and comfortable shoes, and take a layer for air conditioned halls.

Rideshare, taxis and shuttles carry most visitors between venues, and walking is practical within Miami Beach near the Convention Center. Bicycles and scooters are popular for short distances on the Beach. Leave extra time for every trip across the bay, especially in the evening when events start.

Booths at Art Basel Miami Beach move fast. With so many booths in the convention center, ask each gallery for its list of works and prices so you can compare later in your hotel.

• Ask about a work by title and booth number, and take a photo of the label.
• Holds during fair week are often very short, sometimes only hours, because many collectors are considering the same works.
• If a work is sold, ask whether the gallery has related work in its inventory or available from the artist.
• Ask what the price includes. Sales tax rules depend on where the work ships, and crating and shipping are usually separate lines on the invoice.

If you buy in Miami and live elsewhere, read how buying from a gallery works before you agree to shipping, since crating and delivery from Florida add to the invoice.

A little preparation at home saves hours during the week.

• Write a short list of artists and galleries you want to see, so you can find them quickly on the fair app and floor plan.
• Ask galleries you already know whether they will be at the fair and what they plan to bring. Many share a preview PDF or a private viewing room link before the doors open.

Booth staff speak with many people in a day. Be clear and brief: say what interests you, ask your question, and ask for a business card or email. Ask before taking photographs of work. After the fair, galleries need a few days to catch up, so send one short email that names the fair, the booth and the work by title, with one clear question. If the gallery offers a PDF of available works or a private viewing room link, reply to confirm your interest. Our US art fairs calendar shows which fairs follow Miami in the new year.