Miami Art Basel
All about my first time attending Miami's famous Art Basel; the shows, the parties, and the clothes.
Miami Art Basel
I just returned home from my first time at Miami Art Basel, it was a blast! Aside from getting around 12 hours of sleep over 3 nights, I had an amazing time. I wanted to share some of the highlights of my trip, my favorite pieces from the SCOPE Art Show, and also some things I wish I knew beforehand.
The Highlights
Miami never disappoints; the food, the weather, the beaches. It has everything I love. I decided to go super last minute and found a great deal for the Clinton Hotel on Hotels.com, so I split it with two amazing friends/managers. It was located a little more south than we had wanted, but the deal was great and the room was spacious and clean, so we were happy! I partnered with Uber and was given a guided tour of the Wynwood area which was bright and colorful and filled with famous street artists' work. There were countless amounts of parties day and night, I couldn't have made it to all of them if I tried. A few hotels set up giant tents on the beach which had both an enclosed area and an open area right on the sand. I ended up at Nautilus two out of my three nights. The music there was great and the company was better! Throughout the day I ran around trying to take photos during my downtime and sadly only made it to the beach (without my camera) once due to the rain on my final full day. I jumped right into the water and lost my flip flop for like 2 minutes but even thought I only had an hour of sunshine, I was as happy as could be!
SCOPE Art Show
On the rainy day, I went to the SCOPE Art Show which was on an enclosed tent on the beach. There was various art from highly respected artists all throughout. I love modern art and art that reflects ideas of society today, so this show completely exceeded my expectations! The only thing I would suggest is buying your ticket ahead of time since the line for purchasing a ticket onsite was crazy. See some of my favorite art pieces from the SCOPE Art Show below.
What I wish I knew:
Don't get me wrong, I had an UNREAL time, but there are a couple things I wish I knew before hand. The first is the fact that I completely overpacked the wrong types of things. All you really need are a few swimsuits, a few nice dresses, a chic outfit or two to wear out at night, and heels that are comfy and inexpensive. Most parties were on the sand so I completely thrashed my nice booties that I wore out. You will be doing a ton of walking because nothing is that far and Ubers are expensive. Make sure you bring the right hair products for the humid weather. I didn't bring any at all and just let my hair go wild. It somehow worked out for me but it usually doesn't. Another thing to be conscious of is the amount of water you drink. I drank way too little water. I know that sounds funny, but the humidity is very draining since I am not used to it. With long nights and long days, stayed hydrated is KEY. If I go next year, I will definitely stay on collins between 14th and 25th and book my hotel in advance. Being central is key and the beaches behind the big hotels have chairs and all your beach needs. Lastly, make sure you are on lists for parties. Luckily, I was, but if you are not on a list the lines are insane and drinks are very expensive. The night parties start late, and go later so make sure to also have some espresso after dinner! ;)