elrow Town festival Madrid
Photograph: Courtesy elrow Town festival Madrid
Photograph: Courtesy elrow Town festival Madrid

The best Art Basel events, parties and things to do for Miami Art Week 2024

From studio visits to superstar DJ sets, these Art Basel events in Miami are worth braving traffic for.

Caitlin Driscoll
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Twenty years ago, Art Basel Miami Beach was a blip on our social calendar, a serious art fair for serious art industry folks and collecting connoisseurs. Yet, over the last two decades, this international fair has morphed into one of Miami's biggest events of the year, spawning hundreds of satellite art shows, music festivals, gourmet dinners, wellness pop-ups and even pool parties. (This is Miami, after all.)

Along with classic art fairs like NADA, Design Miami, and CONTEXT, our so-called Miami Art Week offers an endless parade of artistic pleasures, including plenty of public installations and exhibits that won't cost you a dime to enjoy. Here is a first look at the best events and parties of Art Basel week (so far). We’ll be updating this list as events roll through, so keep checking back for more!

Art Basel Miami Beach events and parties

  • Things to do
  • Little Haiti / Lemon City

Helado Negro is in a lane of his own. The South Florida native and multi-instrumentalist is also a producer, a sound engineer, creative director, and mesmerizing singer with a degree in computer art and animation. On December 4, the prolific artist returns to his hometown for a live performance at ZeyZey, drawing from his ninth studio album, PHASOR, and a catalog of dreamy, atmospheric music layered with synths and bilingual lyrics that nod to a newfound sense of freedom.

  • Things to do
  • Miami Beach

As always during Miami Art Week, the six-block Faena District will come alive with its own contemporary art program filled with large-scale artworks, multimedia performances and cultural events—all free and open to the public. On the sands of Faena Beach, Native Alaskan artist Nicholas Galanin will present Seletega (run, see if people are coming/corre a ver si viene gente), a towering 90-by-30-foot installation that ponders interconnectivity and our collective responsibility to future generations. In the hotel’s Cathedral lobby, Lyra Drake’s Faith in a Finite World invites conversation with a divine feminine oracle using AI consciousness. 

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  • Things to do
  • Miami

Who needs drugs when you have elrow? The wildly creative, world-famous production is back in Miami for one of its most ambitious shows yet: Hallucinarium. Inspired by the psychedelic artworks of visionary artist Alex Grey, Hallucinarium will transform Factory Town into a technicolor fever dream of fractal artworks, mind-bending stage designs, dancing mushrooms and other fun surprises from sunset to sunrise. 

  • Things to do
  • South Beach

​​Time to brush up on your Rockafeller Skank dance. Superstar DJ Fatboy Slim returns to SLS South Beach on Friday, December 6 for a day-to-night rager at the hotel’s poolside venue, Hyde Beach, presented in partnership with The Summer Club NYC. Early bird tickets start at $40.

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  • Things to do
  • Omni

The Adrienne Arsht Center presents the U.S. premiere of The Great Yes, The Great No, a multimedia performance conceived and directed by acclaimed South African artist William Kentridge. Inspired by actual events, The Great Yes, The Great No takes place aboard a ship of refugees and prominent 20th-century figures looking to escape Vichy France during World War II. Through his fictional retelling, Kentridge employs music, dancing, acting, photography and his signature animated drawings to challenge rationalist worldviews with surrealism’s boundless possibilities. 

  • Things to do
  • Wynwood

A favorite local event during Miami Art Week, Baker’s Brunch is back on Thursday, December 5 at the Bakehouse Art Complex. Mix and mingle with local artists in their studios, wander through exhibitions and public art installations and pick up a complimentary book from Bookleggers Library, all while enjoying some yummy breakfast bites and beverages. RSVP for free on Eventbrite.

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  • Things to do
  • Miami

Two years ago, the Burning Man community mourned the loss of Mayan Warrior, a monumental art car from Mexico City led by a collective of artists, technicians and designers by the same name. On Thursday, December 5, Mayan Warrior’s next-generation art car, the Galaxyer, will make its Miami debut for a fundraising party at Factory Town, complete with pyrotechnics, a state-of-the-art sound system, live DJ sets and a healthy dose of hedonism.

  • Nightlife
  • Pop-ups and food events
  • Little Haiti / Lemon City

The style assignment is "1986 Corporate Chic" (think satin garments) at this highly flammable “End of Financial Year” Corporate Disco-themed party in Little River. Step into a night of disco-fueled reverie headlined by Dabeull, who Billboard just crowned “The King of Modern Funk.” Hosted by Poolsuite (the ultra-summer internet radio station) and Miami-born sunscreen brand Vacation, the party also features two additional Parisien music legends, Breakbot & Irfane (of “Baby I’m Yours” fame), together with disco and soul queen Yasmin. Attendees are invited to enjoy additional corporate perks like exclusive merchandise and headshots. Doors open at 8pm with happy hour and food and drink specials from 8 to 9pm. Tickets start at $45.

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  • Things to do
  • Allapattah

A mecca for immersive art, Superblue Miami has premiered a new multisensory commission just in time for Art Week. Lightfall by Studio Lemercier delves into human perception and our relationship with the natural world through an interplay of light, projection and mathematics set to ambient electronic music by Mexican artist Murcof. This immersive experience is the latest addition to Superblue’s ongoing exhibition, Every Wall is a Door, featuring works by fellow renowned artists including teamLAB, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, James Turrell and Es Devlin. 

  • Things to do
  • South Beach

If the terms web3, blockchain, and crypto art get you going, mark your calendars for Bitbasel at the Sagamore South Beach. Now in its fifth year, this week-long event gathers art collectors, digital artists, and international gallerists over a shared passion for NFTs. Along with interactive installations, Bitbasel promises avant-garde art, panel discussions and live DJ sets, all surrounded by the Sagamore’s ever-growing art collection.

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  • Things to do
  • South Beach

The charming Betsy Hotel will host a property-wide Art Week celebration with live music, artist meet-and-greets, public art installations and more. Pop into The Piano Bar for riveting jazz performances by Miami musicians; visit the famous Betsy Orb for projection-mapped artworks by [dNASAb], or catch an exciting dance performance by the Peter London Global Dance Company, led by Trinidad and Tobago-born choreographer Peter London.

  • French
  • Design District

Returning for another Miami Art Week, LVMH Culture House pops up for five days in the Design District, showcasing diverse narratives and craftsmanship from artists of color, women and people with disabilities. To foster community and encourage dialogue at the intersection of art, culture and luxury, the Culture House includes a pop-up art gallery from December 4 through 8 and panel discussions from December 5 through 7. Highlights include works from artists like Yuki Ando, Glenneisha Darkins and Gustavo Barroso, plus influential panelists like rapper Slick Rick (December 7 at 12:30pm). The gallery is open daily to the public from 10am to 6pm. 151 NE 41st Street
3rd Floor

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