Miami Beach residents can buy Art Basel day tickets at half price through Sunday, August 9, after the city confirmed the fair's return to the Convention Center from Friday, December 4 through Sunday, December 6.

The City of Miami Beach announced the discount on Monday, August 3, calling it a thank-you to the community. The 50% offer launched at 7 a.m. Monday and runs while supplies last through 11:59 p.m. Sunday. The city said the purchase link was shared on its social media channels when the offer went live.

This will be Art Basel's 24th run in Miami Beach.

The city first previewed the offer on Thursday, July 30, providing the full discount window and noting the link would go live August 3.

Contract still in limbo

The resident perk arrives while the fair's long-term future at the Convention Center remains unsettled. Art Basel currently pays the city close to $1 million a year to use the facility, but the two sides have been negotiating a new deal with significantly different terms, according to Artnet News.

Under the proposed agreement, the city would lower Art Basel's base rent to between $400,000 and $500,000 annually and cover up to $300,000 in police and fire costs the fair previously paid itself. Art Basel would also help fund $100,000 in transportation costs under the proposal. In exchange, the city wants a 10-year commitment. Art Basel is pushing for five years.

Art Basel is also seeking first-refusal rights to the Untitled and Scope fair sites on Ocean Drive and an expanded exclusivity zone that would bar competing events nearby.

Any final deal requires a vote by the Miami Beach City Commission, which is in August recess and does not reconvene until Thursday, September 10.

Next public forum

The Convention Center Advisory Board meets Tuesday, August 11, at 9:30 a.m. in the OVG360 Boardroom at 1901 Convention Center Drive. The meeting is hybrid; residents can join via Zoom (Meeting ID: 87024931586#, Passcode: 067162). It is the only scheduled public forum on Convention Center matters before the Commission returns.

Residents looking for the discounted ticket link should check the City of Miami Beach's social media accounts.