We might be biased, but there aren’t many cities that can stake a greater claim to being design capital of the world than London. With its internationally-renowned museums, art galleries both large and small, and plethora of public art installations, London is a hub of creativity.
Showcasing the best of the capital’s talents are a roster of art fairs and festivals that take place throughout the year, giving the opportunity to discover works by emerging and established artists. Whether you’re interested in British craft, affordable art, or thought-provoking installations, these are the best art fairs in London in 2026 to have on your radar.
London Art Fair
Kicking off the 2026 art calendar in the capital is London Art Fair, which returns to Islington’s Business Design Centre with a line-up of modern and contemporary art galleries from around the world. Thousands of contemporary British artworks will be presented by some of the UK’s leading galleries, bringing a breath of fresh air to customers’ art collections.
This year’s museum partner is the National Trust, which will present its first-ever exhibition of surrealist and post-war abstract works from the collections of The Homewood and Ernő Goldfinger’s 2 Willow Road, never before exhibited outside these iconic modernist homes. Elsewhere, The Encounters section will bring together emerging and international galleries, including exhibitors from Mexico, Turkey, Japan, and France, and don’t miss exceptional modern art from Francis Bacon, Barbara Hepworth, William Kentridge, and Louise Bourgeois.
21-25 January 2026 at Business Design Centre, Islington, N1 0QH. Visit londonartfair.co.uk
The Decorative Fair
The Decorative Fair is now London’s largest vetted prestige fair for antiques, design and art in the capital. It has been running since 1985 and takes place three times a year at Evolution London, an events venue within Battersea Park. The Decorative Fair is the preferred hunting ground of leading UK and international designers, decorators and collectors, and is popular with younger buyers in particular. Some 130 exhibitors will be showing traditional and decorative antiques, fine examples of 20th-century design, and textiles, glass and ceramics dating from the 1700s to the 1970s.
This year, don’t miss the London Antique Rug & Textile Art Fair (LARTA) taking place on the mezzanine, where 15 specialist dealers in rugs and carpets, tribal weavings, and a huge variety of antique textiles for decorating and collecting will be available.
Winter Fair: 20-25 January 2026, Spring Fair: 12-17 May 2026, Autumn Fair: 29 September-4 October 2026, visit decorativefair.com
The Other Art Fair
The Other Art Fair has an unexpected take on the traditional art fair experience, claiming, ‘when the art world as you knew it went one way, we went the other’. The platform gathers game-changing artists and creative thinkers to celebrate the experiential aspect of art and rail against elitism in the industry. In terms of what you can find here, the Other Art Fair combines boundary-pushing yet affordable artworks from over 175 emerging talents, as well as interactive theatre, taxidermy classes and guest artist talks.
5-8 March 2026 at The Old Truman Brewery, Brick Lane, E1 6QR. Visit theotherartfair.com
The Affordable Art Fair
The Affordable Art Fair returns to London for three events this year, showcasing the best in contemporary art from over 100 leading galleries from around the world, with cities including London, Hong Kong, New York and Barcelona represented. Discover the joy of collecting with artworks for sale ranging from £50 to £7,500, with expert advice on hand to make finding your dream piece a breeze. Kicking things off in Battersea Park for spring, the fair will also visit Hampstead Heath two months later before returning south in the autumn.
4-8 March 2026, Battersea Park; 6-10 May 2026, Hampstead; 14-18 October 2026, Battersea Park, visit affordableartfair.com
London Craft Week
London Craft Week returns for its 11th edition with a new programme of events taking place at museums, galleries and boutiques across the capital; since its inception in 2015, it has grown in scale and prominence to welcome nearly a quarter of a million visitors each year. The festival celebrates craftsmanship across multiple sectors and disciplines, shining a light on the creative talent behind some of the world’s most beautiful objects. Discover enlightening workshops and inspiring makers and craftspeople alongside immersive events from luxury houses and stores, famous artists and designers, and national museums and galleries.
11-17 May 2026, across London, visit londoncraftweek.com
London Original Print Fair
Founded in 1985, London Original Print Fair (LOPF) is the capital’s longest-running art fair and will return to Somerset House in May. It celebrates printmaking in all forms, bringing together the work of around 40 exhibitors. Discover renowned classics alongside modern works from the likes of Hockney, Auerbach, Rego, Picasso and Matisse, as well as lesser-known gems and a new generation of artists – there’s something for everyone, whether you’re looking for affordable works or to build on an established collection.
14-17 May 2026 at Somerset House, Strand, WC2R 1LA. Visit londonoriginalprintfair.com
Photo London
‘The leading art fair for celebrating the past, present, and future of photography’, Photo London returns to Somerset House for 2026. Now in its 11th year, the fair presents historic and vintage works from the world’s leading photography dealers, while also spotlighting emerging galleries in the Discovery section, and the fresh perspectives that come with them. Each edition also puts on a Public Programme, which includes special exhibitions and installations as well as an awards programme headlined by the Photo London Master of Photography Award.
13-17 May 2026 at The National Hall, Olympia, Hammersmith Road, W14 8UX. Visit photolondon.org
London Design Festival
The London Design Festival returns to the capital this September, marking its 24th year celebrating and promoting design with an extensive line-up of installations, events and exhibitions. At its inception in 2003, the festival’s concept was to promote London as a creative hub, drawing in the country’s greatest thinkers, practitioners, retailers and educators. More than 20 years later, this vision remains strong; in 2019, the London Design Festival welcomed a record-breaking 600,000 visitors from over 75 countries, and 2026 is expected to be bigger and better than ever.
12-20 September 2026, across London, visit londondesignfestival.com
British Art Fair
The Fair for Modern and Contemporary British Art, otherwise known as the British Art Fair, brings together top dealers from London and across the UK. Galleries are installed over all three floors of the Saatchi Gallery, creating a museum-like ambience; the experience is collaborative and interactive, with dealers engaging with the public, telling them about the artists and providing specialist advice on collecting. The 2026 edition of the British Art Fair is set to showcase artists including David Hockney, Frank Auerbach, Damien Hirst, Tracey Emin, Barbara Hepworth and many more.
24-27 September 2026 at Saatchi Gallery, Duke of York’s Square, Chelsea, SW3 4RY. Visit britishartfair.co.uk
Frieze London, Frieze Masters and Frieze Sculpture
Arguably the capital’s most-hyped art fair, Frieze London (which exhibits only contemporary art and living artists) and Frieze Masters (focusing on historical art) are set to take over Regent’s Park again this October, alongside Frieze Sculpture. Details of this year’s event are still under wraps as applications are still open for exhibitors, but last year saw art from emerging stars and iconic names, spanning thousands of years of art history and hundreds of major international galleries.
14-18 October 2026 at Regent’s Park, NW1 4LL. Visit frieze.com
The Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair
The Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair (WCPF), together with its online edition, forms Europe’s largest art fair dedicated to highly collectible print works. Each year, WCPF showcases the very best of contemporary print in a unique hybrid exhibition which features a curated selection of independent artists chosen through an international open call, well-known names, and specialist gallery booths at London’s historic Royal Arsenal.
13-16 November 2026 at Woolwich Works, The Royal Arsenal, SE18 6HD. Visit woolwichprintfair.com
Read more: The best London exhibitions to visit in 2026
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