Art Dubai rescheduled

Art Dubai’s 2026 fair will now run on May 15 to 17 in Dubai, one month later than planned, after regional conflict upended the spring calendar. (theartnewspaper.com) The fair said about 50 regional and international galleries remain in its sales section at Madinat Jumeirah, while roughly 75 exhibitors that had been due to take part will no longer attend the delayed edition. (theartnewspaper.com) Art Dubai also changed how exhibitors will pay: instead of charging stand fees upfront, it will take a percentage of sales, capped at the equivalent of the original stand cost. A VIP preview is scheduled for May 14. (theartnewspaper.com) (gulfnews.com) The shift lands in the middle of Dubai’s busiest art season. Alserkal Avenue has expanded its usual Art Week into a five-week Alserkal Art Month running from April 18 to May 18, with programming spread across five weekends. (artnews.com) (gulfnews.com) Alserkal’s expanded program includes 16 gallery exhibitions, more than 100 talks, performances and events, grants, temporary warehouse space for collectives, and a group show organized with 12 galleries from around the United Arab Emirates. Its closing week from May 14 to 17 will overlap with Art Dubai and include commissions developed with the fair. (artnews.com) (villa88.com) The postponement follows weeks of disruption tied to the war involving Iran, which Art Dubai and other outlets said affected flights, freight and gallery travel across the Gulf. The fair had originally been scheduled for April 18 to 20 before announcing new dates in late March. (theartnewspaper.com) (timeoutdubai.com) (artnet.com) This is Art Dubai’s 20th edition, and the revised format is smaller than the fair’s usual footprint. The fair’s website says the 2026 edition will still include its digital program and other noncommercial presentations alongside the gallery booths. (gulfnews.com) (artdubai.ae) The result is a compressed art season with two different responses to the same disruption: Art Dubai narrowed and moved its fair, while Alserkal stretched its calendar across a month to keep exhibitions, sales and public programs in motion before the rescheduled opening. (theartnewspaper.com) (artnews.com)