Your curated guide to the best Art Basel Miami events 2019

Grimes, Nina Kraviz and Sophie headline what’s sure to be one of the buzziest Art Basel events of the year. The three powerhouses of left-field electronic pop music have joined forces with Miami’s edgy festival producer III Points to throw a mysterious warehouse party toting the “well-proven anti-aging properties of raving.” Expect a rejuvenating dose of dancing plus a few wild surprises—this is Art Basel, after all.

Ten years ago, the Goldman family bought a bunch of warehouses in a rough neighborhood and thought, Hey, outdoor canvases! Okay, that’s the TL;DR. For the whole story, pick up Walls of Change: The Story of the Wynwood Walls, a recently released book that details the formation of what has become one of Miami’s most pathbreaking art projects. Two new shows also commemorate the anniversary: Comprising Wynwood Walls’ core crew of artists, a retrospective features works created especially for the occasion, and a solo outing from Shepard Fairey (best known for the Obama “Hope” poster) serves as the last stop on his “Facing the Giant: 3 Decades of Dissent” tour, which documents his 30-year career. Stop in on Wednesday for the grand opening of the Wynwood Walls shop block party, plus artist talks and other free programing. 

CODE returns to Wynwood for a second year, this time moving from its original home in the 200-person capacity speakeasy bar at Coyo Taco to the expansive garden patio at 1-800-Lucky. Masterminded by Dubfire, the hardworking techno DJ who recently played a record-breaking 26.5-hour set at Romania’s Sunwaves Festival, CODE brings together DJs from across the dance music spectrum for a nonstop, back-to-back musical journey that will start deep and left-field and end in a banging techno rave.

Sultry and haunting indie-electronic project Rhye is helmed by Canadian vocalist Mike Milosh, whose yearning, Sade-inspired vocals and organic-synthetic hybrid R&B sound only intensify his hyper-mysterious public persona. Presented by Poplife, Rhye comes to Miami this Art Basel for an intimate performance under the stars.

Black Rock City might be 3,000 miles away, but Miami makes a fitting home for this Burning Man-born immersive art installation coming to Magic City Innovation District during Art Week 2019. Dance beneath a giant fluffy cloud as its lights pulse to the beat of DJs and live sound experiences. Comprised of 60,000 watts of ultra-HD sound and 33,000 individually addressable LEDs, the hand-crafted Cloud seeks to reinvent the concert experience for this special off-Playa event. Base Camp at Magic City Innovation District, 298 NE 61st St (thefluffycloud.org); Dec 5–8; prices and times vary

This high-profile lecture raising funds for the Black Rock foundation brings together star artist Kehinde Wiley (famed for his Obama portrait) and acclaimed music producer and art collector Kasseem Dean (a.k.a. Swizz Beatz) for a lively discussion on activism, philanthropy and how to make it in today’s art world. Shell out for VIP tickets to gain access to a pre-show champagne reception and a star-studded afterparty on the New World Center rooftop. New World Center, 500 17th St, Miami Beach (creativemindstalks.com); Dec 2 at 7pm; $125 to $1,250.

The second annual Faena Festival, titled “The Last Supper,” strives to awakensouls (and appetites) by examining the link between spirituality, ritual and food in newlycommissioned works. Chinese artist Zhang Huan presents Miami Buddha, which features two statues sitting face to face; and Myrlande Constant, who’s known for making Haitian vodou flags, displays her largest one to date in the main lobby of the Faena Hotel.

For those who like their art with a side of chilled-out, exceptionally danceable disco and house music: Crew Love’s sixth annual Art Basel soiree brings the gang back to Miami with sets from Soul Clap, Wolf + Lamb and Morgan, plus live performances by Life on Planets and Pony. Location TBA

This four-day mixology, tech and culinary arts utopia takes over the sprawling Wynwood Marketplace and wants to serve as your gateway to Miami Art Week. At the heart of the festivities is the Veuve Clicquot Champagne Garden, a chic lounge area for photo ops, pop-up activations, sunset DJ sets and an abundance of bubbly. Enjoy edible works of art at the HIVE Culinary Pavilion and dance the night away at Heineken House, a temporary late-night mega-club complete with immersive video displays, laser shows and DJs. Wynwood Marketplace, 2250 NW 2nd Ave (wynwood-marketplace.com); Dec 5–8 at various times; free.

Back for its seventh edition, Basel House fuses art, nightlife and fun activations over the course of a weekend. Check out 30 thousand square-feet of large-scale murals and projection-mapped installations, shop a series of local pop-ups and get your b-boy on at the Monster Compound featuring a BMX vert team, breakdancers, live graffiti and more. Expect plenty of music, cocktails and food to keep you fueled.

Local underground house and techno promoters Un_Mute take over FunDimension, a sprawling arcade and bar in the heart of Wynwood, for their annual Art Basel showcase. Tickets to the party include two rooms of music where DJs tINI, Francesco Del Garda and Unai Trotti will take turns setting the vibe as you level up on unlimited games, climb the rock wall, navigate the Pac Man maze, smash bumper cars—and of course, dance your butt off.

Wynwood’s Cake Gallery is back for a second year to deliver four days of art-fuelled partying. A classic gallery by day with works by Junk Yard, Third Eye Assembly and Balloonski LA, among others, the warehouse space transforms by night with live music programming that includes performances with visuals by FvckRender and Victor Mosquera, Dirtybird Records’ Walker & Royce and more TBA. The CAKE Gallery, 2060 NW 1st Ave (instagram.com/cake.original). Dec 5–8 at 2pm; $0 to $75.

Helmed by a team of professional ravers from coast to coast including LA-based Future Primitive, Burning Man’s La Grange and local selectors Soundtuary, this year’s Rumors Art Basel party with Israeli DJ Guy Gerber kicks off during sunset at the waterfront bar The Deck at Island Gardens and continues until midnight for seven hours of dancing under the stars.

Brace for another immersive art experience this Basel—one that’s built for adults and probably NSFW (some parts of it at least). The Art Plug Power House spans eight indoor and outdoor attractions, where you’ll encounter 25 art installations, over 50 artists, live extreme sports performances, concerts by Atlantic Records artists, plus 14 food vendors and four bars all in the heart of the burgeoning Little River district.

Rockwell partners with notoriously-impossible-to-get-into NYC club 1OAK yet again for Art Basel 2019. You can expect a whole bunch of buzzy names and celebs ending the night here throughout the weekend. Think you can get past the doorman? We like your confidence. 

Heart Nightclub—a fleeting bastion of live techno, house and electronic performances in Downtown Miami—closed its doors Spring 2018. This December, just in time for Art Basel, Heart rises from the ashes in its evolved form, as a two-day, 63-act, genre-bending festival housed in the expansive Wynwood Factory. Techno stars the Martinez Brothers, Sasha & John Digweed, Damian Lazarus, Cassy and Bedouin top the bill, but expect emerging underground talent as well, from house DJs to live electronic performances, playing across four stages.

During a week when art selfies and FOMO reach ridiculous heights in Miami, this phone-free party encourages guests to disconnect, let their down their guard and live in the moment. Devices will be stowed away in pouches upon arrival so you can truly dance like no one’s watching. 1-800-Lucky, 143 NW 23rd St (1800lucky.com); Dec 7 at 11pm; $0 to $20.

Three innovative Burning Man camps comprised of resourceful party people from around the globe join forces for a second year during Art Basel to create this party designed to transport guests to the Playa. Helmed by the Kazbah, Galactic Jungle and Monkey Love crews, Pyramid People boasts three immersive stages across a completely transformed indoor/outdoor space staging live music, DJs and art-making plus vendors peddling all the necessary wares to get you prepped for Burning Man 2020. Lemon City Studios, 261 NE 73rd St (lemoncitystudios.co); Dec 5 at 10pm; $49.50 to $108.

For the fifth year, the Miami Design District has commissioned an artist to create a major public piece. This year, things are getting seriously hairy with Fernando Laposse’s Pink Beasts. The Mexican designer has created a trail of shimmying rosy tassels that are suspended throughout the neighborhood. Get a closer look to spot the hammocks—conceived in collaboration with textile designer Angela Damman—and the adorable sloths, constructed from agave fibers that were dyed with an insect-derived hue and sustainably woven by Mayan women. Miami Design District

Create & Cultivate, the digital platform championing female entrepreneurs, returns to Miami for its annual Vision Summit. Timed during Miami Art Week, the full-day event brings together visionaries from the worlds of food, fashion, art, tech and beyond for a series of intimate conversations and presentations tailored to enlighten and inform local creatives. This year’s expert panelists and speakers include beauty entrepreneur Josie Maran, model Karolina Kurkova, local fashion blogger Kelly Saks and a slew of other well-known influencers. Lunch, snacks and all kinds of self-care treatments will be provided between sessions. 

Mysteriously masked German DJ duo Claptone hosts an outdoor, sunset masquerade party at RC Cola Plant in Wynwood. Expect their signature crisp, infectiously danceable tech-house tunes in addition to special guest DJs Duke Dumont and Todd Terry at this 18 and up event.

Any true dance music fan should be drooling over any sort of collaboration between the wonderful labels Life and Death and Innervisions. The two dance music powerhouses take over Virginia Key Beach Park once again this year for their Rakastella party. The roster of DJs includes Ben UFO, Aurora Halal, John Talabot, Dixon, Âme and more. Pace yourself, though. The party doesn’t stop until 7am the next day.

French artist Claude Lalanne and her husband and collaborator François-Xavier Lalanne, known together as Le Lalanne, were famed for going against the abstract trend of the 1960s with their fantastical sculptures exploring themes of nature and the living. For the grand reopening of its lush gardens, the historic Raleigh Hotel has collaborated with real estate developer and Lalanne collector Michael Shvo to curate a free and open to the public exhibition showcasing the artists' works, with over 39 pieces nestled among a half-acre of tropical gardens designed by architect Peter Marino and high profile Miami landscape designer Raymond Jungles.

Is it hot in here, or is it just Best Life Festival closing out Art Basel week? The annual R&B rager returns to Wynwood on Sunday with smooth and sensual headliners DVSN, Kiana Lede, Emotional Oranges and SiR doing their damndest to make partiers feel some type of way.

When it comes time to blow the top off of Art Basel week, look for whatever Ibiza’s legendary Circoloco crew is getting into. This year, they’ve brought on DJs Seth Troxler, the Black Madonna and Damian Lazarus to top the bill at a massive Art Basel closing party on the open air terrace at Club Space.

At this official Art Basel event, guests enjoy gratis breakfast and an enlightening presentation from internationally acclaimed sculptor and photographer Petah Coyne. Known for creating elaborately detailed wax, silk and taxidermy assemblages that hang from ceilings and erupt from the floor, Coyne’s lecture is followed by guided tours of Frost Art’s Sculpture Park and exhibitions.