From buzzing biennales to cutting-edge fairs, here are 10 African art fairs and festivals to add to your calendar. Embark on a cultural journey and experience the pulse of the continent.

2026 African Art Events at a Glance

Note: we recommend verifying exact dates on the official websites before planning your trip.

Art X Lagos | Lagos, Nigeria

Since launching in 2016, this annual contemporary art fair has fast earned its place as a leading art event on the continent.

Happening over four days, usually in November, Art X Lagos is a celebration of music, film, design, literature and art.

The program for this African art fair includes exhibitions, film screenings, live performances, creative talks, and immersive installations.

@artxlagos

Dak’Art | Dakar, Senegal

Africa’s longest-running international art biennale is dedicated to showcasing contemporary African art across all disciplines.

The Dakar biennale is held every two years over a month in May/June, with an ‘In’ programme featuring a curated international exhibition and an ‘Off’ programme of independent exhibitions happening at venues across the city – from galleries to public spaces.

To fully enjoy this unique cultural celebration, we recommend staying in Dakar for a week.

@biennale_de_dakar_officiel

1-54 | Marrakech, Morocco

This continent-hopping contemporary art fair is held three times a year in London, New York and Marrakech. The Marrakech edition runs over three days in March.

Named after the 54 countries that make up the African continent, the 1-54 art fair champions artists from Africa and its diaspora through curated exhibitions, talks and panel discussions — placing African creativity firmly on the global stage.

@154artfair

Investec Cape Town Art Fair | Cape Town, South Africa

Every February, artists, galleries, collectors, curators and art lovers from around the world congregate in Cape Town for Africa’s largest international art fair.

The 2025 art fair showcased work from over 500 artists from five continents and some of the world’s most prominent galleries. This four-day event is a definitive highlight of Cape Town’s summer calendar.

@investeccapetownartfair

FNB Art Joburg | Johannesburg, South Africa

Jozi’s leading African art fair is held over three days every October and is not to be missed.

As the longest-running art fair on the continent, it showcases some of the best contemporary art from across Africa and beyond, alongside talks, film screenings, public lectures and a series of impressively scaled installations.

@fnbartjoburg

Bamako Encounters – The African Biennale of Photography | Bamako, Mali

Since its inception in 1994, this Malian photography biennale has provided a platform for photographers and videographers from Africa and its diaspora.

Held every two years over two months at year-end, the festival features exhibitions, portfolio reviews, artistic and musical performances, discussions and workshops in venues across the city, all centered around a unifying theme.

Pro tip: book a hotel in central Bamako to make the most of the portfolio reviews and evening workshops that bring the biennale to life.

@les_rencontres_de_bamako

Africa Foto Fair | Abidjan, Ivory Coast

This annual photography festival was founded in 2010 by award-winning photographer Aida Muluneh. The first editions took place in Addis Ababa (then called the Addis Photo Fest).

It has since grown into a major event on Africa’s cultural calendar. The 2025 edition brought together over a hundred photographers from 30 countries to explore the power of photography across cultures and borders.

Beyond exhibitions, the program spills into workshops, panel discussions, film screenings, DJ nights and even guided bike tours, with much of the action unfolding in the city’s working-class neighborhood of Abobo.

Last year (2025), Onomo Hotel Abidjan was one of the festival venues, hosting an evening of film screenings, an exhibition and DJ sets in the hotel garden.@africa.foto.fair

The Chale Wote Street Art Festival | Accra, Ghana

Each year, Accra’s streets come alive with eye-catching graffiti murals, colorful processions, art exhibitions, live music, theatre performances, interactive installations, film screenings, masquerade parties and fashion shows for this street art festival.

Every edition has a fresh theme that challenges social norms and sparks conversations. The name Chale Wote means “Friend, let’s go” — an open invite to experience Accra’s creative heartbeat.

@chalewoteofficial

BISO (The International Biennale of Sculpture of Ouagadougou) | Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

Founded in 2018 by two friends, photographer Nyaba Léon Ouédraogo and art dealer Christophe Person, the first contemporary sculpture biennale of its kind on the African continent is held every two years in October/November in Burkina Faso’s capital.

Bringing together emerging and established sculptors from across the globe, the biennale is preceded by several weeks of on-site artist residencies, talks and events, culminating in an exhibition.

@bisobiennale

Addis Video Art Festival | Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

This bi annual festival transforms Addis Ababa’s public spaces into digital galleries. It features video art from local and international artists, projected on screens throughout the city—from public plazas to cultural centers.

It is the perfect event to discover how African artists are using new media to tell the continent’s stories.

@addisvideoartfestival

Why Travel with ONOMO to Experience African Art?

Our African hotels are cultural destinations in their own right. Stay with ONOMO in Cape Town, Casablanca, Dakar, or Bamako to immerse yourself in the continent’s vibrant art scene.

We blend contemporary Afro-fusion design with modern comfort, creating inspired spaces where culture and creativity come alive.

Book your next trip here