Fall, Part Two: October Around the Art World
October is one of the busiest months in the art calendar. Here are the fairs and biennials worth knowing, on five continents.
Budapest Contemporary
October 2–4, Bálna Budapest
Budapest Contemporary returns for its fourth edition inside the Bálna. More than 30 galleries show, and this year the fair adds design and jewellery sections for the first time. The main way into the Hungarian scene.
Art Jakarta
October 2–4, at JIExpo Kemayoran
One of the region's biggest fairs, with 75 galleries this year, a third of them international. The focus stays on Indonesian and Southeast Asian work, with sections for collectives and independent projects.
Frieze London + Frieze Masters
October 14–18, at Regent's Park
Frieze runs its two London tents side by side, contemporary work in one and historical in the other, about fifteen minutes apart on foot. Close to 300 galleries between them.
1-54 London
October 15–18, at Somerset House
The fair for contemporary African art takes over Somerset House during Frieze Week, where it lands every October. Smaller than the Frieze tents, and easy to see in an afternoon.
Art Market Budapest
October 15–18, at MTK Sportpark
Central and Eastern Europe's largest fair, in its 16th year. Close to 100 exhibitors from around 30 countries, with a photography satellite fair, Art Photo Budapest, running inside it.
Lagos Biennial
October 17 – December 18
Lagos was named one of the seven art destinations to visit in 2026, and its fifth biennial is a big reason why. Titled The Museum of Things Unseen, it uses non-traditional sites across the city.
Paris Internationale
October 21–26
The gallerist-run fair that started in 2015 as the scrappier alternative to the big Paris event. It picks a new building every year, usually something nineteenth-century and half-finished, and leans younger and less corporate than the Grand Palais.
Art Basel Paris
October 23–25, at the Grand Palais
Art Basel's Paris edition, back in the restored Grand Palais, with preview days on October 21 and 22. Around 200 galleries, and the fair that now anchors Paris Art Week. American collectors have started picking it over Basel itself.
Art Toronto
October 29 – November 1, Metro Toronto Convention Centre
Canada's main fair, in its 27th edition, with over 100 galleries. The Arte Sur section brings in galleries from Central and South America, and opening night this year benefits the McMichael Canadian Art Collection.
Artissima
October 30 – November 1, at the Oval Lingotto
Italy's only fair given over entirely to contemporary art, in its 33rd year in Turin. Around 180 galleries in Renzo Piano's converted Lingotto complex, with a research bent and strong sections for emerging artists.
Art Taipei
October 29 – November 1, Metro Toronto Convention Centre
Asia's oldest international art fair, running since 1992. Over 100 galleries, with sections for young galleries and for Taiwanese indigenous art, which sets it apart from the fairs further west.
Looking for the rest? See the ones that opened the season in Fall Opens — The Art Events Kicking Off the Season
Photos courtesy of the respective fairs and biennials.
