There are at least ten art fairs competing for attention during Frieze Week London 2026, from the giant tent in Regent’s Park to hotel rooms, historic buildings and some deliberately smaller alternatives. You could attempt all of them. We wouldn’t recommend it.
Instead, we’ve picked six we’re particularly looking forward to — including the mothership, some newer arrivals and one that isn’t technically an art fair at all.
1. Frieze London
It’s still the centre of gravity. Frieze London brings together 176 galleries operating across 43 countries and regions, with the emphasis this year firmly on new work and discovery.
Among the presentations catching our eye, Lisson brings new paintings by Dalton Paula, drawing on overlooked Black histories; Gagosian presents six major new large-scale paintings by Albert Oehlen; while Pace will show new work by Marina Perez Simão, whose fluid landscapes move between geography, memory and shifting light. There are also new curated sections and plenty to find beyond the big-name booths. INFO: @friezeofficial
2. Minor Attractions
Now firmly established as one of the more interesting counterpoints to Frieze, Minor Attractions returns bigger again, bringing more than 75 galleries and projects into The Newman.
But the attraction is as much what happens around the art as what hangs on the walls. Moving image, performances, radio, music, readings and late-night events spill through the hotel and across London. It has the slightly unruly energy that much of Frieze Week could use more of. INFO: @minor.attractions
3. Fair Play Art Fair
One of the most interesting new arrivals this year, Fair Play Art Fair comes from Ryan Stanier, founder of The Other Art Fair, with an artist-first model that removes upfront booth fees.
Independent artists are selected by a committee rather than according to their ability to pay for space, and visitors can meet and buy directly from them. Add performance, music and artist-led programming, Fair Play feels less interested in reproducing the established fair model than seeing what can be changed about it. INFO: @fairplayartfair
4. London Invitational
At the opposite end of the scale from Frieze is London Invitational, a deliberately compact new fair bringing just 12 galleries from London and the US together for its European debut.
Founded by British-born Dallas gallerist James Cope, it mixes emerging and established contemporary art with 20th-century work. The attraction here is precisely the size: one floor, a tightly edited gallery list and, hopefully, enough room to actually look at the art. INFO: @invitationalfair
5. TRIEZE
Not really an art fair — more an artist-led group exhibition with a knowingly cheeky name — but TRIEZE earns its place on the list.
Founded by Code FC, Otto Schade and Jay Kaes, and joined this year by Fin DAC and Pez Barcelona, the project puts the artists in charge of the exhibition and the conversations surrounding it. Alongside the work is a programme of talks, one-to-ones and discussions around street art, collecting, copyright and artistic independence. A small, artist-run intervention in the middle of the Frieze Week machine. INFO: @triezeproject
6. 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair
1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair returns for its 14th London edition with a significant expansion of its usual contemporary focus.
For the first time, the fair is placing particular emphasis on African Modernism, bringing Modernist artists from Africa and its diaspora into dialogue with contemporary practices. A major part of this is West Wind, curated by South African-Portuguese art historian Dr Nancy Dantas, reflecting the growing institutional reassessment of artists and movements too often left outside dominant art histories. INFO: @154artfair
*Yeah, we know TRIEZE isn’t really an art fair.
