[2026–2027] Art Fair and Art Festival Calendar: From the Sapporo International Art Festival to Tokyo Gendai

From autumn 2026 into 2027, art fairs and art festivals follow one after another in Japan. In Tokyo, Art Week Tokyo takes place in November and Art Fair Tokyo 21 in March 2027, while Kyoto hosts ACK and ARTISTS’ FAIR KYOTO. The Sapporo International Art Festival 2027 opens in January, and Tokyo Gendai moves to Ariake, Tokyo, in November 2027. This article introduces, month by month, events under way as of October 19 and the main events through November 2027, and also covers what has been announced for the 2028 Setouchi Triennale. Overseas, Frieze London and Art Basel Paris were held in October, the 16th Gwangju Biennale runs until November 15 and the 61st Venice Biennale until November 22.

How will the map of art fairs and festivals change in 2027?

In 2027, the dates and venues of Japan’s art fairs are shifting. Tokyo Gendai held its fourth edition at Pacifico Yokohama in September 2026, but its fifth edition will take place from Friday, November 5 to Sunday, November 7, 2027, at Ariake GYM-EX in Ariake, Tokyo. The official website carries the slogan “The stage moves to Tokyo, the season to the autumn of art.”

Art Fair Tokyo 21 will have the Tokyo International Forum as its main venue and move its “Projects” section to the B1 concourse of Tokyo Midtown Hibiya. TOKYO ART BOOK FAIR follows its previous edition (December 2025), the first to run over two weekends, with another two-weekend run, holding its 2026 edition in January 2027. In Kyoto, ACK moved to a joint direction system with seven directors in 2026.

Among art festivals, the first Maebashi International Art Festival runs in Gunma until December 20, and the triennial Sapporo International Art Festival opens in the snow season. For the 2028 Setouchi Triennale, three sessions in spring, summer and autumn and all 17 areas have already been announced.

Art festivals under way: Rokko Meets Art, Maebashi and TOKYO ATLAS

Saturday, August 29 – Sunday, November 29: Kobe Rokko Meets Art 2026 beyond

A contemporary art festival staged on top of Mt. Rokko in Kobe, it began in 2010 and is now in its 17th edition. Organized by Rokkosan Kanko Co., Ltd. and Hanshin Electric Railway Co., Ltd., it features about 60 artists and groups over a total of 93 days. Yayoi Kusama’s large three-dimensional work “Pumpkin” is shown at the ROKKO Forest Sound Museum as a specially deposited work, and Yoshitomo Nara and Michele De Lucchi are among the participants. On weekend and holiday evenings, “Forest of Light: A Night Art Walk” is also held. See our article on Kobe Rokko Meets Art for details.

Dates: Saturday, August 29 – Sunday, November 29, 2026
Venue: Mt. Rokko summit area (Kobe)
Admission: Viewing passport, Day Pass: adults 3,300 yen, children 1,300 yen (same-day)

Saturday, September 19 – Sunday, December 20: The 1st Maebashi International Art Festival 2026

The first edition of an art festival themed on “Mebuku” (to sprout), Maebashi City’s vision for urban development. Seventy artists and groups from Japan and abroad present works at Arts Maebashi, the Shiroiya Hotel, shops in the shopping streets, outdoor sites and elsewhere, with participants including Martin Margiela, Tadashi Kawamata and Naoki Ishikawa. The venues are clustered within walking distance, and the festival is closed every Wednesday. See our article on the Maebashi International Art Festival for details.

Dates: Saturday, September 19 – Sunday, December 20, 2026
Hours: 10:00–18:00 (last entry 17:30)
Admission: Passport ticket: adults 3,000 yen; university, graduate and vocational school students 2,000 yen; free for high school students and younger (a Kids Pass must be collected)

Saturday, October 10 – Sunday, December 20: International Art Exhibition TOKYO ATLAS

A new international art exhibition organized by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and others, staged in the waterfront areas of Daiba, Aomi and Tennoz. Twenty artists and groups, including Yayoi Kusama and Leiko Ikemura, present works in places such as a park on the site of a late-Edo-period gun battery, on the sea and in an underground parking garage that is out of use. It is also one of the highlight programs of “ARTE TOKYO” (until December 31), a culture and arts festival by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and others. See our article on TOKYO ATLAS for details.

Dates: Saturday, October 10 – Sunday, December 20, 2026 (closed Mondays, or the following Tuesday if Monday is a holiday)
Hours: 10:00–17:00 (last entry 16:30)
Admission: Free (some paid programs; timed reservations required for the underground parking garage)

October–November 2026: Art Week Tokyo, ACK, MUTEK.JP and KOGEI

[Ended] Friday, October 30 – Sunday, November 8: DESIGNART TOKYO 2026

A design and art festival that treats the whole city of Tokyo as a museum, now in its 10th edition. About 150 participants from 13 countries exhibit across eight areas from Ginza to Ikejiri. From October 30 to November 3 (national holiday), the main venue “AUTOBAHN” opens on the KK Line (the former Tokyo Expressway). See our article on DESIGNART TOKYO 2026 for details.

Dates: Friday, October 30 – Sunday, November 8, 2026
Venues: Ginza, Tokyo, Roppongi, Gaienmae, Omotesando, Harajuku, Daikanyama and Ikejiri areas
Admission: Main venue one-day ticket: adults 3,000 yen in advance, 3,500 yen on the day

[Ended] Saturday, October 31 – Sunday, November 1: Roppongi Art Night 2026

An art festival staged across the streets of Roppongi, now in its 15th edition. According to the organizer, it is held all night for the first time in three years, with about 60 programs and a French feature, “RAN Focus.” The Mori Art Museum stays open until 6:00 the next morning on the opening day of “Mariko Mori: All That Shines,” which opens on the 31st. See our article on Roppongi Art Night 2026 for details.

Dates: Saturday, October 31 – Sunday, November 1, 2026
Hours: Core time from 17:00 on the 31st to 6:00 on the 1st
Admission: Free (some programs and museum special exhibitions charge admission)

[Ended] Wednesday, November 4 – Sunday, November 8: Art Week Tokyo

A contemporary art event in which visitors move freely among museums and galleries in Tokyo. According to the organizer, a record 56 venues take part, and from November 6 to 8 the free shuttle bus “AWT BUS” links the venues on six routes. Gallery exhibitions and the special exhibition “AWT FOCUS” are free to view. See our article on Art Week Tokyo 2026 for details.

Dates: Wednesday, November 4 – Sunday, November 8, 2026
Hours: 10:00–18:00
Admission: Galleries, AWT FOCUS and AWT BUS are free (museum exhibitions charge admission; special rates with an AWT pass)

[Ended] Saturday, November 7 – Monday, November 9: Art Collaboration Kyoto (ACK) 2026

A contemporary art fair with the Kyoto International Conference Center as its main venue, now in its sixth edition. A total of 63 galleries, 31 from Japan and 32 from overseas, take part, 18 of them for the first time. At its core is the “Gallery Collaboration” section, in which Japanese galleries host overseas galleries and share a single booth. See our article on ACK 2026 for details.

Dates: Saturday, November 7 – Monday, November 9, 2026 (preview for invited guests and press only on the 6th)
Hours: 12:00–19:00 on the 7th and 8th, 11:00–17:00 on the 9th
Admission: Advance tickets 3,000 yen (until November 6), same-day tickets 3,500 yen, three-day passes 6,000 yen

Friday, November 20 – Monday, November 23 (national holiday): MUTEK.JP 2026

A festival of electronic music and digital creativity, now in its Edition 11. The venue is MoN Takanawa: The Museum of Narratives in TAKANAWA GATEWAY CITY, and JR East is a co-organizer. Announced performers include Daito Manabe x ELEVENPLAY, Max Cooper, Ryoichi Kurokawa and mouse on the keys. See our article on MUTEK.JP 2026 for details.

Dates: Friday, November 20 – Monday, November 23, 2026 (national holiday)
Venue: MoN Takanawa: The Museum of Narratives
Admission: 1Day ticket 8,000 yen (until October 20), 10,000 yen (from October 21); 1Day U25 5,000 yen

Friday, November 27 – Sunday, November 29: KOGEI Art Fair Kanazawa 2026

Billed by its executive committee as “the only art fair in Japan dedicated to kogei (crafts),” it is now in its 10th edition. A record 49 galleries exhibit and sell works, each using one guest room at Hyatt Centric Kanazawa. The 27th is a VIP preview for invited guests only, and the fair is open to the public on the 28th and 29th. See our article on KOGEI Art Fair Kanazawa 2026 for details.

Dates: Friday, November 27 – Sunday, November 29, 2026
Venue: Hyatt Centric Kanazawa (1-5-2 Hirooka, Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture)
Admission: Advance tickets 2,500 yen, same-day tickets 3,000 yen (both valid for both public days)

January–March 2027: the Sapporo International Art Festival, TOKYO ART BOOK FAIR and fairs in Kyoto and Tokyo

Saturday, January 16 – Sunday, February 21: Sapporo International Art Festival 2027

A triennial art festival with the theme “PLANET SNOW.” Works are shown at 11 venues, including the Sapporo Civic Gallery, Moerenuma Park, the Odori site of the Sapporo Snow Festival and the aquarium AOAO SAPPORO. Dates differ by venue: the SIAF2027 section at the Snow Festival’s Odori site runs from Thursday, February 4 to Sunday, February 21, and the Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art until Sunday, April 11 (planned). See our article on the Sapporo International Art Festival 2027 for details.

Dates: Saturday, January 16 – Sunday, February 21, 2027 (dates differ at some venues)
Venues: 11 venues, including the Sapporo Civic Gallery
Admission: Not listed on the official website as of October 19

Thursday, January 21 – Sunday, January 24 and Friday, January 29 – Sunday, January 31: TOKYO ART BOOK FAIR 2026

The 16th edition of the book fair dedicated to art publishing that began in 2009. Although it is named “2026,” it is held over two weekends in January 2027. Publishers, galleries and artists from Japan and abroad present art books and zines, and there is also a “Guest Country” program introducing the publishing culture of one country or region. See our article on TOKYO ART BOOK FAIR 2026 for details.

Dates: Thursday, January 21 – Sunday, January 24 and Friday, January 29 – Sunday, January 31, 2027
Venue: Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo (4-1-1 Miyoshi, Koto-ku, Tokyo)
Admission: Not announced as of October 19

Friday, March 5 – Sunday, March 7: ARTISTS’ FAIR KYOTO 2027

Launched in 2018, this event is at once an art exhibition and an art fair, with no boundary between the two, and is organized by Kyoto Prefecture, the Kyoto Shimbun and the ARTISTS’ FAIR KYOTO Executive Committee. According to the application guidelines, exhibitors stay at the venue throughout the fair to explain their works to visitors and discuss sales. The venue is the Meiji Kotokan of the Kyoto National Museum.

Dates: Friday, March 5 – Sunday, March 7, 2027 (preview on March 4)
Venue: Kyoto National Museum, Meiji Kotokan (527 Chayamachi, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto)
Admission: Not listed on the official website as of October 19

Thursday, March 11 – Sunday, March 14: Art Fair Tokyo 21

An art fair covering everything from antiques and crafts to modern and contemporary art. The 11th is an invitation-only day, and the public days are planned for the 12th to 14th. The Tokyo International Forum is the main venue, and the “Projects” section is held in the B1 concourse of Tokyo Midtown Hibiya. The previous edition, Art Fair Tokyo 20, drew a total attendance of 56,938, with total sales of about 3.65 billion yen (according to the organizer). See our article on Art Fair Tokyo 21 for details.

Dates: Thursday, March 11 – Sunday, March 14, 2027 (March 11 is an invitation-only day)
Venues: Tokyo International Forum, Hall E / Lobby Gallery; Tokyo Midtown Hibiya, B1 Concourse
Admission: Not announced as of October 19

April 2027 onward: KYOTOGRAPHIE, Tokyo Gendai and the Setouchi Triennale 2028

Saturday, April 17 – Sunday, May 16: KYOTOGRAPHIE 2027

An international photography festival held across Kyoto. The official website announced the 2027 dates on September 29, 2026, saying that the theme, artists and venues will be announced later. It introduces “KG+,” an open-call art festival, as a satellite festival held in conjunction with KYOTOGRAPHIE.

Dates: Saturday, April 17 – Sunday, May 16, 2027
Venues: Not announced as of October 19

Friday, November 5 – Sunday, November 7, 2027: Tokyo Gendai 2027

An art fair bringing together galleries from Japan and abroad, operated by Angus Montgomery Arts (AMA). The fourth edition, in 2026, was held at Pacifico Yokohama from September 11 to 13, with 69 galleries from around the world. For its fifth edition in 2027, the fair moves to Ariake GYM-EX in Ariake, Tokyo, and to November.

Dates: Friday, November 5 – Sunday, November 7, 2027
Venue: Ariake GYM-EX (Tokyo)

April–November 2028: Setouchi Triennale 2028

The next Setouchi Triennale will be held in three sessions in spring, summer and autumn 2028, for a total of 117 days. The theme is “Restoration of the Sea,” and the general director is Fram Kitagawa. The venues are 17 areas in total, including Naoshima, Teshima and Shodoshima, as well as Honjima, Awashima and others that take part only in the autumn session. As an off-season program, the exhibition “touch from MOON” is being held at the Setouchi Container Gallery at Takamatsu Port from October 10 to November 29, 2026 (on Mondays, Fridays, weekends and holidays).

Dates: Spring session April 14 – May 28, 2028 (45 days); summer session July 25 – August 20, 2028 (27 days); autumn session September 29 – November 12, 2028 (45 days)
Venues: Islands and ports of Kagawa and Okayama Prefectures (17 areas)

In addition, the dates of the international art festival “Aichi 2028” have not been announced, but Shabbir Hussain Mustafa has been appointed artistic director (official announcement dated July 24, 2026). Saitama City gives 2027 as the year of the “Saitama International Art Festival 2027,” but its dates and venues have not been announced. The year and dates of the 9th Yokohama Triennale are not posted on its official website either.

Frequently asked questions

Which events can be enjoyed for free?

TOKYO ATLAS is free to view (some paid programs), and Roppongi Art Night is free to enter (some programs and museum special exhibitions charge admission). At Art Week Tokyo, gallery exhibitions, AWT FOCUS and the AWT BUS shuttle are free.

Do Art Week Tokyo and ACK overlap?

Art Week Tokyo runs from November 4 to 8 and ACK’s public days from the 7th to the 9th, so they overlap on the 7th and 8th. Art Week Tokyo’s AWT BUS runs from the 6th to the 8th.

Does Art Fair Tokyo 21 open on the 11th or the 12th?

According to an official announcement dated March 19, 2026, Thursday, March 11 is the invitation-only day, and the public days are planned for Friday, March 12 to Sunday, March 14. The dates of March 12 to 14 shown at the top of the official website match these public days.

When and where will Tokyo Gendai be held in 2027?

It will be held from Friday, November 5 to Sunday, November 7, 2027, at Ariake GYM-EX in Ariake, Tokyo. The fourth edition, in 2026, was held at Pacifico Yokohama in September.

Art fairs and art festivals held in March 2027 are also listed in date order in our March 2027 art event calendar.

*Information as of October 19, 2026. Please check the official websites for the latest information.

*Top image: Efrain Almeida, “Uma coisa linda,” 2014, Ph: Eduardo Ortega. Courtesy Acervo Efrain Almeida and Fortes D’Aloia & Gabriel, São Paulo / Rio de Janeiro. (from a press release by Kyoto Prefecture)

*This article was compiled by the TOKYO ART SPHERE editorial team based on official announcements by each organizer and facility (as of October 19, 2026).

Text: TOKYO ART SPHERE Editorial Team