How to enjoy an art fair with friends
Whether you’re seasoned art collectors or just in it for the art experience, an art fair is the perfect backdrop for laughter and discovery with friends. Here’s how to pace yourselves, know what to look out for, and turn the whole experience into a memorable day out.
Blythe Bolton
Friday 12 September, 2025
Heading to an art fair with friends combines all the best aspects of building a collection of original art. It’s a great way to build your connection as a duo, or group, share a meaningful memory, and have fun doing it. Whether you’re joining us for a friend date night, or a relaxed day of catching up amongst art immersion, our fairs have long been about discovering affordable art in an environment set to inspire a sense of fun.
Despite this, there can be something vulnerable about sharing your style and taste with others. By nature, it’s deeply personal. So, where do you begin, and feel confident doing so?
Take a look at our top tips for enjoying the art fair experience with friends or housemates.
1. Carve out time
If you’re looking to attend an art fair with friends, there are a number of different things to consider when it comes to how much time to allocate to your visit.
We tend to recommend allowing 2-3 hours for your first visit. This should give you enough time to experience the fair to its fullest, including an all-important break to enjoy a relaxed coffee or glass of wine during your art-filled time together.
Alternatively, an after work catch up and stroll around the aisles might be all you need. If you come prepared, perhaps with an idea of the style of art you’re on the lookout to buy, or even the exact gallery you like the look of, 1-2 hours would be plenty. You can always revisit the fair, together or solo, for free if you need time to ponder. Just ask our friendly galleries about re-entry tickets – something we offer at all our fairs.
2. Lean into discovery
The fair is all about inspiration, discovery, and having fun together. It’s the perfect chance to spark your imagination while enjoying your favourite company. Art is a great source of laughter, curiosity, and joy. So, grab your friends and lean into making the most of this quality time exploring with people you love.
3. Tackle the aisles together
When it comes to couples attending our fairs, we often encourage them to make a round of the fair separately first. But, with friends, it’s a little different. Unless you’re housemates (more on that later), It’s unlikely you’ll be buying a piece together, so really there’s no need to split up in order to form your own opinions without influence. In fact, it’s probably more helpful to have someone, or your whole group, exploring the fair together so you can ask questions and point out pieces that might’ve been missed.
As you weave between the aisles, collect photos of the artworks that catch your eye and note down the stand number or gallery name.
4. Make a game of it
It can be both fun and useful to set yourselves the challenge of pinpointing three artworks that you think your friends will like, or take an ‘if money were no object’ approach to help each other understand your unique styles without the remit of a specific budget.
5. Ask questions, avoid critiques
Art is a mysterious phenomenon that speaks to the deepest parts of our unconscious. There is no right or wrong answer when it comes to the magnetism an artwork holds for us. Often, the reasons we’re drawn to certain artworks and not others can be difficult to articulate.
While it might be tempting to exclaim brutally honest rejections of your friend’s taste if it doesn’t match your own, try instead to use the opportunity to learn more about them by asking questions.
• What stands out to you about this work?
• Is there a specific place you can imagine it hanging in your/our home?
• If this artwork could speak, what do you think it would say?
• Is there an aspect of the technique, colour palette, size or subject that specifically appeals to you?
• How would you describe this artwork in one word?
6. One for housemates
If you’re buying art together as housemates, you might want to decide together which 5 – 10 artworks you’d like to learn more about from each other’s list. This is when you can embark on a second round of the fair together as art buyers, rather than just friends. Take the opportunity to ask each gallerist more detailed questions about the artworks that have captured your interest. Perhaps you’d like to learn more about the artist’s technique or background. Or more logistical questions: whether they offer a payment plans you could work out together, or whether they have more works available by the artist.
And don’t forget to encourage each other’s excitement and art buying confidence, because it’s always a good idea to be ready to seize the moment. You never know when another art collector has eyes for the same piece you or your friend has fallen in love with. Don’t let it be the one that got away! When you’re ready to commit, you can take your new piece straight to the wrapping station and then it’s set to take home.
7. The post-fair debrief
One of the best parts of an art fair comes after wandering the aisles. Hopefully you’ve seen something you like, so now it’s time to regroup for a drink and swap stories. Grab a glass of wine or a coffee from the bar inside the fair – this is your chance to compare favourites, or even laugh about the strangest pieces you spotted. It’s the perfect way to wind down before you head back to buy, wrap, and take home your new piece.
There are 1,000s of affordable artworks to explore at our fairs, so enjoy the process of finding your match. Nurture each other’s curiosity, chat to our gallerists, and share your passions. These top tips are designed for practically enjoying art fairs with friends and housemates, but you know best how to have a good time with each other – lean into that and you’re onto a winner.
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