Art Basel Miami Beach 2026 runs Friday, Dec 4 through Sunday, Dec 6, with invitation-only preview days on Wednesday, Dec 2 and Thursday, Dec 3. Around the fair, the city fills with gallery events, pop-ups and parties for most of the week.

For an organizer, that means a lot of people in town who want to go out, and a lot of other events competing for them. This checklist covers picking your slot, making your event page easy to choose, selling early and running a door that holds up in a busy week.

Pick your slot

• Choose your day on purpose. The weekend will have the most competition. A midweek event, from Tuesday, Dec 1 to Thursday, Dec 3, can be easier to own, especially with a local crowd. Sunday, Dec 6, the fair's last day, works for a closing party.
• Work around the fair's hours. Public days at the fair run 11 AM to 6 PM, so a lot of visitors are looking for what to do next in the evening. Set your start time with that in mind.
• Know who you're selling to. Locals, visitors from New York and LA, artists and gallery staff all keep different hours. Pick the crowd you can reach and build the event for them.
• Lock the room and lineup in writing before you announce. Venues fill up fast this week. Get the date, times and capacity confirmed first. How to Pick a Date for Your Party has the full clash check.
• Remember it's also holiday season. The first weekend of December is when holiday parties start. Holiday Party Season covers the rest of the month.

Make your event page easy to choose

• Lead with what makes yours different. A lot of events that week will say "Art Week" in the title. Put the genre, the lineup or the neighborhood first, so people can tell yours apart at a glance.
• Answer visitors' questions in the description. Many guests won't know the city. Include the neighborhood, start and end times, dress code, entry details and the easiest way to get there (Create an Event). How to Write an Event Description That Sells Tickets has a template.
• Add every performer to the lineup. Each name links to the artist's profile, and their followers can find your event (Add Performers to an Event Lineup). That matters when a visiting DJ's fans are in town for the week.
• Use strong images. Add your flyer and photos from past events to the event page (Create an Event). How to Make a Party Flyer That Sells Tickets covers what to put on it.

Sell early, to the right people

• Announce by mid-November. Visitors sort out their trips and fill their week early. Send a post to the guests of your last event by email, text or both (Create a Post), and let your community's followers know (Create a Community).
• Give people a deadline. An Early Bird ticket option with a sale end date, like Friday, Nov 20, stops selling on its own and gives people a reason to buy before the week fills up (Create Ticket Options).
• Set up tickets for groups. People often travel to Miami with friends. Set a maximum per order that fits a group, and keep the quantity at your real capacity (Create Ticket Options).
• Give each partner their own promo code. A gallery, a brand or another collective can share a code with their own crowd. Set a maximum number of uses and an end date, and use the codes to track how specific groups are buying tickets and which promotions perform best (Create a Promotion). How to Use Promo Codes for Your Party has more.
• Get your performers posting. Artists can share posts and text blasts with their followers from the artist dashboard (Message Your Fans with Posts and Text Blasts).
• Partner with a local crew. If you're coming from out of town, a Miami collective or venue can be added as a Collaborator co-host to help promote the event and send updates (Add Co-Hosts to an Event). How to Run an Event With Co-Hosts covers who does what.

Run a door built for a busy week

• Staff the door with Door Managers. Add your door team as Door Manager co-hosts so each person checks guests in from their own profile in the Beatmatch mobile app (Add Co-Hosts to an Event).
• Open the scanner before the line forms. Scanning the ticket QR code is the fastest way in. If a phone dies or a code won't scan, check the guest in by name or email in the Orders tab (Check In Guests).
• Export your orders before doors. A CSV of your orders works as a backup guest list (Manage Your Orders).
• Send arrival details on the day. A day-of text blast with the start time and where to enter helps visitors who don't know the area (Send a Text Blast). For longer details like set times, use an email blast (Send an Email Blast).
• Know your capacity. Busy weeks bring walk-ups. Keep your ticket quantity at what the room can safely hold, and brief the door on it. Run a Faster Door has more door tips.

After the week

• Thank your guests while the week is still fresh. Send a thank-you post with photos from the event (Create a Post). The Event Photography Checklist covers the shots to get.
• Ask everyone to follow your community. Visitors go home after the week, and following your community keeps them up to date on your next event, wherever you throw it (Create a Community).
• Announce what's next. New Year's Eve is less than four weeks later. The New Year's Eve week-by-week checklist picks up from there.

Your Miami Art Week checklist

• Pick your day and start time around the fair's hours.
• Confirm the room, times, capacity and lineup in writing.
• Put the genre, lineup or neighborhood first in the title.
• Answer visitors' questions in the description.
• Add every performer to the lineup.
• Announce by mid-November with an Early Bird sale end date.
• Set a group-friendly maximum per order.
• Give each partner their own capped promo code.
• Add Door Manager co-hosts and export your orders before doors.
• Send a day-of text blast with arrival details.

Ready to claim your slot for the week? Create your event and set up your ticket options with sale dates (Create Ticket Options).