The UK art fair year runs from London Art Fair in January to Manchester Art Fair in November, with Frieze London and Frieze Masters in October as the international peak. In between come specialist fairs for craft (Collect), photography (Photo London), prints (London Original Print Fair) and modern British art (British Art Fair), plus the Affordable Art Fair’s three London editions for first-time buyers. This guide sets out the dates the fairs themselves publish, explains how a fair actually works, and covers what to check before you buy.
The UK art fair calendar at a glance
Dates below come from each fair’s official website (checked October 2026). Fairs change dates and venues, so confirm before you book travel.
London Art Fair: 20 to 24 January 2027, with a preview on 19 January, at the Business Design Centre in Islington.
Collect: 26 to 28 February 2027 (previews 24 and 25 February), Somerset House, London.
Affordable Art Fair Battersea Spring: March 2027 in Battersea Park; exact days not yet published on the Battersea Spring page.
Affordable Art Fair Hampstead: May 2027 on Hampstead Heath, according to the Hampstead fair page.
Photo London: 13 to 16 May 2027, VIP preview 12 May, at Olympia.
London Original Print Fair: 20 to 23 May 2027, per the fair’s website.
British Art Fair: 23 to 26 September 2027 at the Saatchi Gallery, Chelsea, per the British Art Fair site.
Frieze London and Frieze Masters: the 2026 editions ran 14 to 18 October in The Regent’s Park; 2027 dates were not yet listed.
1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair, London: the 2026 edition ran 15 to 18 October at Somerset House.
Affordable Art Fair Battersea Autumn: the 2026 edition ran 14 to 18 October in Battersea Park.
Manchester Art Fair and The Manchester Contemporary: 19 to 22 November 2026, Manchester Central.
A note on two fairs often listed in older guides. Masterpiece London, the Chelsea fair for antiques, design and fine art, is not running: its official site states that owner MCH Group cancelled the 2023 edition because of escalating costs and fewer international exhibitors, and no new edition has been announced. We also could not find a live official site for a “Bristol Art Fair”, so it is not included here.
The international heavyweights in London
Frieze London was founded in 2003 by Amanda Sharp and Matthew Slotover, and its official About page describes a fair that focuses only on contemporary art and living artists. Eva Langret is the fair’s director. The 2026 fair had five sections: the main Galleries section; Focus, for galleries founded within the last twelve years (34 presentations this year); Artist-to-Artist, where established artists nominate a peer; Editions, for prints and multiples; and a new curated section, The Code Universe, organised by Carol Yinghua Lu. Editions is the most realistic entry point for new collectors, and Frieze itself pitches it as “an approachable entry point”.
Frieze Masters sits a short walk away in the same park and shows work made before 2000, from antiquity to the late twentieth century. Between the two tents, Frieze Sculpture is free to visit: in 2026 it ran from 16 September to 1 November in the park’s English Gardens. Frieze’s own round-up reported that the two fairs together welcomed 95,000 visitors from 108 countries and regions in 2026. A useful background summary of the fair’s history is on the Frieze Art Fair Wikipedia page.
1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair was founded in 2013 by Touria El Glaoui and takes its name from the 54 countries of the African continent. It launched in London in October 2013 and now also runs editions in New York and Marrakech. Somerset House’s event page for 1-54 2026 listed tickets at £32, £18 for concessions and £100 for VIP entry on preview day (checked October 2026).
Fairs for modern British and accessible contemporary art
London Art Fair, founded in 1989, is the traditional opener of the UK art year. Its official site promises work from more than 120 modern and contemporary galleries, and it is the place to see modern British names alongside living artists in one hall. Its Platform section, launched in 2019, takes a different theme each year; past themes have included ceramics, music and art, and queer love and life. More background is on the London Art Fair Wikipedia page.
British Art Fair says it has presented British art since 1988 and describes itself as the UK’s only fair dedicated exclusively to modern and contemporary British art, with paintings, drawings, sculpture, photography, prints and ceramics from specialist dealers.
Manchester Art Fair is the largest regular fair in the north of England. For 2026 it has expanded to four days, with more than 600 artists and 180 exhibitors and a preview night moved to Thursday, according to the fair’s announcement of the four-day edition. The fair reports more than 10,000 visitors a year. On the tickets page, a Thursday preview ticket costs £25 and a Friday, Saturday or Sunday ticket £15, and under-16s do not need a ticket (checked October 2026). Running alongside it, The Manchester Contemporary is a curated section for independent galleries and artist-led spaces, supported with National Lottery funding through Arts Council England. If you are planning a visit, our sister title Manchester Society covers the city’s wider cultural life.
Affordable and artist-led fairs
The Affordable Art Fair began in Battersea Park in October 1999, when, according to its About page, ten thousand people came to the first edition. Founder Will Ramsay had earlier run Will’s Art Warehouse, selling work priced between £50 and £2,500. The organisation now runs fairs in 15 cities. In the UK it holds three London editions: Battersea in spring and autumn, and Hampstead Heath in May. Works start from £100, and each London fair hosts over 100 UK and international galleries. The Battersea Autumn page for 2026 listed a Graduates Exhibition and curated displays of finds under £500.
The Other Art Fair works differently: independent artists, not galleries, take the stands, so you usually buy from the person who made the work. It is presented by Saatchi Art. The London page says the fair will return in 2027, with dates and venue still to be announced (checked October 2026).
Specialist fairs for craft, photography and prints
Collect, run by the Crafts Council, is the fair for contemporary craft and collectible design. Its official site says it presents the work of 400 living artists, with 80% of pieces made in the last five years, chosen by an external advisory panel. Expect ceramics, glass, textiles, furniture, jewellery and large-scale installations.
Photo London describes itself as the UK’s leading international fair for photography and image-based art. It moved to Olympia for its 2026 edition, which featured Steven Meisel as Master of Photography. Its Positions platform, launched in 2024, supports unrepresented photographers.
London Original Print Fair was founded in 1985 and calls itself London’s longest-running art fair. It covers original prints spanning five centuries, from old master etchings to contemporary editions, and its Hallett Independent Acquisitions Award helps a regional museum buy work at the fair. The 2026 award went to The Burton at Bideford for two Paula Rego prints.
How an art fair works
An art fair is a temporary market. Galleries and dealers apply, are selected by a committee or panel, pay the organiser for a stand and bring work to sell. At most of the fairs above you buy from the gallery, which represents the artist; The Other Art Fair is the main exception. Frieze London’s 2026 selection committee, for instance, was made up of gallerists and curators from London, New York, Berlin, Beirut, Guatemala and Bordeaux.
Most fairs open with a preview or private view before the public days. At Manchester the Thursday preview is a paid ticket open to anyone; at 1-54 London in 2026, VIP preview entry on the Thursday cost £100, and the day was shared with press. The first hours matter: Frieze reported that some Focus presentations in 2026 sold out within hours of opening.
Fairs are also where museums buy. Frieze London runs acquisition funds including the Frieze Tate Fund and the Arts Council Collection Fund, and the London Original Print Fair award places prints in a regional collection each year.
Buying at a fair and what to check
Ask for prices. Galleries expect it, and many list prices on the wall or in a list at the stand. Before you commit, check the following:
Edition details for prints and photographs: edition size, the number of this impression and whether there are artist’s proofs.
Paperwork: an invoice naming the artist, title, date, medium and dimensions, plus any certificate the gallery issues.
Condition and framing: whether the frame is included and what glazing it uses.
Delivery, insurance and timing: who pays to ship the work, and whether you can take it home at once or must wait until the fair closes.
Resale royalties: under the Artist’s Resale Right guidance on GOV.UK, living artists (and their estates for 70 years after death) receive a royalty when a work is resold through an art market professional for £1,000 or more. The rate starts at 4% and the total is capped at £12,500. This matters if you might resell later.
Spreading the cost is possible. Own Art, a scheme backed by the UK’s four national arts councils, offers interest-free loans over ten months on work by living artists bought from member galleries, with a minimum spend of £250. You must be over 18 and a UK resident, and credit depends on status and affordability. The Affordable Art Fair’s guide to buying in instalments names Own Art and Art Money as providers you may find at its fairs. Treat any loan as you would other borrowing and check the terms first.
Getting the most from a visit
Download the exhibitor list before you go and mark the galleries you want to see; most of the fairs above publish one online. Book online, since several fairs sell timed or day tickets. Wear comfortable shoes and allow a full afternoon for one of the large fairs.
Sustainability is changing how fairs are built. The Affordable Art Fair is an active member of the Gallery Climate Coalition, a charity whose main aim is to help the art sector cut its CO2e emissions by at least 50% by 2030 and promote zero waste. Fewer printed catalogues and more online viewing rooms are part of the same shift, so check whether the fair has an online preview you can browse first.
For reviews of exhibitions and artists you may meet at the fairs, see our sister publication Art Culture UK. Creativity’s UK will keep this calendar updated as fairs publish their 2027 dates.
