"This reduction is more about refinement than contraction," Art Basel Miami Beach director Bridget Finn told ARTnews in September, when the fair released a 2026 exhibitor list that was shorter than the year before. The same announcement added free outdoor work beyond the Convention Center, and the first of it arrives in Collins Park on Sunday, Nov. 29. That is five days before the fair's public days begin on Dec. 4.
For anyone who lives between Lincoln Road and 23rd Street, that changes the shape of the week. You can catch the freely open side of Art Week 2026 during the days before the Convention Center fills, within walking distance of home.
What the fair cut, and what it added
ARTnews reported that the 24th edition will have 272 exhibitors. The 2025 list had 285 galleries when it was announced. The main Galleries section dropped to 204 exhibitors from 226. The fair also eliminated Meridians, the section built for large-scale works. VIP preview days are Dec. 2 and 3, and the fair runs Dec. 4 through 6.
Art Basel's own September program announcement describes "an expanded outdoor public program, with two major projects presented free to the public beyond the Convention Center." One is a new body of work by James Turrell, shown outdoors by the Turrell Art Foundation and Art Basel with support from Pace Gallery. The other is in Collins Park.
So the large section for oversized work is gone from the showfloor, and the free outdoor projects have grown. For residents near Collins Park, the part of Art Week that needs no badge is now next door.
Collins Park becomes a ping-pong park
Public Art Fund will install Between Tides, six playable sculptural ping-pong tables, in Collins Park from Nov. 29 through Dec. 6. The artists are Moko Fukuyama, Ilana Harris-Babou, Las Hermanas Iglesias, Carlos H. Matos, Amalia Pica and SUPERFLEX. Gabriela López Dena, Public Art Fund's associate curator of public practice, curated the show.
The tables are meant to be played. A Between Tides kiosk lends paddles and balls from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day of the run, and the presenters invite visitors to "bring your own to play anytime." The same six works were shown this summer at Rockaway Beach in New York. Public Art Fund describes Collins Park as a different setting for them, a place "where art, tourism, recreation, and the waterfront converge."
The busiest night in the park is Monday, Nov. 30. The Paddle in the Park Classic, hosted by Public Art Fund and The Bass, puts artists, museum directors, curators, gallerists and collectors against each other in a series of matches. Visitors of every skill level can join in, and there will be a DJ and food vendors. The event is free and open to all. It runs from 4 to 6 p.m., a Monday evening that ends before the fair's preview days start on Wednesday.
The Bass sets the week's hours
Both events have the same co-host. The Bass, at 2100 Collins Avenue on the edge of the park, extends its hours to 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily from Sunday, Nov. 29 through Sunday, Dec. 6. Those are the same hours the kiosk lends paddles, and anyone who comes for a game is a short walk from the galleries.
The Art Week shows include Yuko Mohri: Unviolated Imperfection, Sarah Zapata: Against a State of Malevolence, Amalia Pica: Lecturas Posibles in The Rotunda, and a Gabriel Rico mural, along with new work from the permanent collection. Pica also designed one of the Between Tides tables, so her work is in the park and inside the museum the same week. The Mohri exhibition stays up through May 30, 2027, well past Art Week. Highlights tours run daily from 1 to 2 p.m. and are included with admission.
Three of The Bass Dialogues during the week are complimentary with an RSVP, subject to capacity:
- Wednesday, Dec. 2: a dialogue with Pedro y Juana
- Thursday, Dec. 3: a conversation with the architects Johnston Marklee
- Friday, Dec. 4: a dialogue with Amalia Pica
The week ends with the museum's annual Art Week Community Day on Sunday, Dec. 6, with free admission and programs for all ages. The family event Painting with the Pros is also free that day with preregistration. After that the museum closes Monday and Tuesday, Dec. 7 and 8, and reopens at noon on Wednesday, Dec. 9.
For residents who want to go inside the fairs as well, The Bass ties membership to Art Week. Members at the Insider level or above can claim a Bass Art Pass, which the museum says gives access to Art Basel, Art Miami + Context, Design Miami, SCOPE, Untitled and other fairs. The museum notes that quantities are limited.
North to Faena Beach
Faena Art's two free pieces are a short trolley ride up Collins and follow the same idea of free work set in public space. Christopher Joshua Benton's A Lore Supreme will be on the sand behind the Faena Hotel from Dec. 1 to 6, open noon to 9 p.m. The Art Newspaper reported that it is free and open to the public. Faena describes it as a kinetic sculpture 44 feet across with 7,000 mirrored facets that also works as a plaza and concert venue. Inside the Faena Cathedral, Marinella Senatore's An Expanded Baroque Crown, a participatory light installation, runs the same dates and is also free.
Two satellite fairs are close to home. BitBasel runs Dec. 2 to 5 at the Sagamore South Beach, 1671 Collins Avenue, with early-bird tickets of $499 for four-day all-access and $119 for the weekend. INK Miami runs Dec. 2 to 6 and is free with online registration.
Art Week near Collins Park, day by day
| Date | Where | What | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun., Nov. 29 to Sun., Dec. 6 | Collins Park | Between Tides, with paddles lent 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. | Free |
| Sun., Nov. 29 to Sun., Dec. 6 | The Bass, 2100 Collins Ave. | Extended hours, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily | Museum admission |
| Mon., Nov. 30, 4 to 6 p.m. | Collins Park | Paddle in the Park Classic | Free |
| Tue., Dec. 1 to Sun., Dec. 6 | Faena Beach | A Lore Supreme, noon to 9 p.m. | Free |
| Wed., Dec. 2 | The Bass | Dialogue with Pedro y Juana | Free with RSVP |
| Thu., Dec. 3 | The Bass | Conversation with Johnston Marklee | Free with RSVP |
| Fri., Dec. 4 | The Bass | Dialogue with Amalia Pica | Free with RSVP |
| Fri., Dec. 4 to Sun., Dec. 6 | Miami Beach Convention Center | Art Basel Miami Beach | Ticket or invitation |
| Sun., Dec. 6 | The Bass | Art Week Community Day | Free |
Getting there in the busiest week
From most of South Beach you can walk to Collins Park. For anyone driving, The Bass recommends the Collins Park municipal garage, one block northwest of the museum. The Miami Beach Convention Center has an 800-space garage at a $20 flat rate, open 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. It also lists the 23rd Street, 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue municipal garages nearby. Those garages serve the fair, so a Sunday or Monday visit to the park comes before the fair crowds.
The City's free trolley runs daily from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., about every 20 minutes on average. That makes the trip to Faena an easy add-on after a game in the park.
After Art Week, the City's free Culture Crawl returns on the third Thursday of the month, with exhibitions, screenings and performances from 6 to 9 p.m. and free trolley service. In December, that is Thursday, Dec. 17.
From Nov. 29 to Dec. 6, The Bass and Public Art Fund are turning Collins Park into a gathering place for the international art community and the public alike. If you own near the park and are weighing how that week fits into your plans for your property, Bryan Halda and The Halda Group can talk it through with you privately. Let's Connect.
