One thing we know for sure is that Chicago’s social calendar never fails to impress, from January to December you’ll never have a lack of things to do even with your discerning taste. That being said, as the true luxury lifestyle connoisseurs that we are, we know that some extraordinary experiences require venturing outside of the city. Already we’ve had FOMO for missing the pilgrimage to Martha’s Vineyard and its Film Festival, the remarkable Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance and Art Basel Hong Kong & Basel as well as the Sothebys Fall auction.
From exclusive fundraising events, hidden gem art fairs to culinary retreats, extraordinary moments await outside the city of ‘Go. Whether you’re looking for a quick weekend getaway or planning a seasonal pilgrimage, these handpicked events offer the perfect blend of culture, luxury, and leisure, outside of Chicago. We’ve curated a list of standout events that promise world-class hospitality, unforgettable crowds, and effortless style. Consider this your definitive guide to elevating your global social calendar. If you’ve said to yourself, “self, you have free will, some disposable income and love to go places, read on to discover the 12 non-Chicago events currently sitting at the very top of our radar. Want to attend one of these events? Let SLC Concierge help you plan the perfect getaway.
2026 EPCOT INTERNATIONAL FOOD & WINE FESTIVAL
DATE: August 27 – November 21, 2026
LOCATION: DisneyWorld Celebration, World Nature, World Discovery
BRIEF: Embark on a culinary adventure across 6 different continents; Discover an array of Global Marketplaces—festival-exclusive kiosks serving cuisine inspired by countries and cultures around the world. CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS.
KOHLER FOOD & WINE FESTIVAL
DATE: Thursday Oct 22 – Sunday Oct 25
LOCATION: Kohler, Wisconsin
BRIEF: Set among the iconic landscape of Kohler, Wisconsin, Kohler Food & Wine is a three-day celebration of culinary excellence, marking its milestone 25th anniversary. Share unforgettable experiences with acclaimed chefs and renowned winemakers, and discover the joy found in gathering together. Featured chefs include: Tyler Florence, Alex Guarnaschelli, Stephanie Izard, Scott Conant, ichael Hunter, and Melissa King to name a few. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO
ART BASEL PARIS
DATE: Wednesday October 21 – Sunday October 25
LOCATION: Grand Palais (Avenue Winston Churchill 75008 Paris)
BRIEF: Art Basel Paris, previously called Atr+ The show builds bridges with France’s cultural industries to create a flagship event radiating throughout the city, embedded in its exceptional cultural ecosystem. VIP preview take place October 21, Vernissage October 22 and public dates from October 23-25. Art Basel Paris includes 32 first-time galleries joining the fair, 183 Galeries, 16 Emergence galleries, and 12 Premise presentations in the Salon Seine. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO.
MOCAD 20TH ANNIVERSARY HOMECOMING BRUNCH
DATE: Saturday October 31
LOCATION: MOCAD | 4454 Woodward Ave., Detroit, MI 48201
BRIEF: Join MOCAD for a special Homecoming Brunch celebrating 20 Years of MOCAD: A Practice of Multiplicity (Part I, Part II-IV) and two decades of contemporary art, experimentation, and community in Detroit.Come together with artists, members, friends, and the MOCAD community for a lively morning of good food, conversation, and celebration. Enjoy a strolling brunch, hear from our Co-Directors and participating artists, reconnect with familiar faces, and spend time with many of the people who have contributed to the Museum’s story over the years. A Special 20th Anniversary Brunch + Private Exhibition Preview of 20 Years of MOCAD: A Practice of Multiplicity
Twenty years of art. Twenty years of creativity, collaboration, and community. Twenty years of bringing people together through contemporary art. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO
ARTX LAGOS
DATE: November 5-8
LOCATION: The Federal Palace Hotel, Ahmadu Bello Way, Victoria Island, Lagos
BRIEF: The 11th edition of ART X Lagos, the premier international art fair in West Africa, and a dynamic platform created to showcase and support contemporary culture from Africa will take place
bringing together a dynamic selection of galleries from across Africa and its diaspora. presenting artists whose practices reflect the breadth, depth and continued evolution of contemporary art.
With established voices and emerging perspectives, this year’s galleries offer new ways of seeing and engaging with the art and ideas shaping our time. Through its bold, multidisciplinary programming – spanning music, film, design, literature and art – ART X Lagos has become a cornerstone of the African art sector, and a cultural catalyst committed to redefining the African narrative. Under the theme A New Chapter, A New Decade, this year’s fair explores how the histories, knowledge and cultural inheritances we carry forward shape what we create next. CLICK FOR MORE INFO.
ARTISSIMA, TURIN
DATE: October 29 (preview by invitation) – November 1
LOCATION: Oval Lingotto Fiere Torino, via Giacomo Mattè Trucco, 70 – Torino
BRIEF: Artissima is Italy’s most important contemporary art fair. Since its establishment in 1994, it has combined the presence of an international market with a focus on experimentation and research.
Galleries from around the world participate every year. In addition to the 4 flaghisp sections (Main Section, Monologue/Dialogue, New Entries, Art Editions), Artissima is also composed of 3 curated sections, headed by a board of international curators and museum directors, devoted to emerging artists (Present Future), to the rediscovery of the pioneers of contemporary art (Back to the Future) and to the drawing (Disegni). CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO.
LACMA ART + FILM GALA
DATE: Saturday, November 7
LOCATION:
BRIEF: Friends and supporters from the art, film, fashion, and entertainment industries will gather at LACMA for its fifteenth annual Art+Film Gala, presented by Gucci. LACMA will honor artist Vija Celmins, one of the most respected artists of her generation whose detailed artworks explore the beauty and complexity of the natural world, alongside acclaimed filmmaker Denis Villeneuve, whose visually striking and thought-provoking films—including the Dune series—have established him as one of the most influential directors working today. LACMA trustee Eva Chow and actor Leonardo DiCaprio will co-chair the event for the fifteenth consecutive year. The LACMA Art+Film Gala is once again made possible by Gucci’s longstanding and generous support. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO
SAN DIEGO FOOD & WINE FEST 2026
DATE: November 1 – November 8
LOCATION: San Diego
BRIEF: The world’s best in food, wine, spirits and beverage, together for eight days on the Pacific Ocean at the 22nd annual . Michelin and James Beard honorees, legendary winemakers and the tastemakers shaping what’s next arrive from both sides of the border and beyond. From intimate dinners, elevated evening of culinary icons, to waterfront tastings, the culinary world is coming to San Diego. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO.
AILEY OPENING NIGHT GALA
DATE: Wednesday, December 2
LOCATION: New York City Center | 131 West 55th Street (between 6th & 7th Avenues)
BRIEF: THEEE Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater launches its 2026–27 New York City Center season with the highly anticipated Opening Night Gala, helmed by Daria L. and Eric J. Wallach Artistic Director Alicia Graf Mack, with multiple Grammy Award-winning artist SZA and Award–winning filmmakers Spike Lee and Tonya Lee as Honorary Chairs. Kicking off the company’s five-week holiday engagement at New York City Center, the gala begins with a 6:30pm one-night-only program featuring the world premiere of Power of Love in honor of music icon Luther Vandross, followed by dinner and dancing at the Ziegfeld Ballroom. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO.
WINE SPECTATOR PALM BEACH FOOD & WINE FESTIVAL
DATE: December 10- December 13
LOCATION: Palm Beach
BRIEF: The Wine Spectator Palm Beach Food & Wine Fest is Palm Beach’s premier four-day foodie festival. Savor culinary masterpieces, create your own culinary magic, and more From world-renowned chefs and rising stars to celebrated sommeliers and mixologists, this year’s lineup brings together the brightest talent in food and wine. Join us in welcoming the personalities who shape the culinary world — and experience their artistry up close such as Maneet Chauhan, Daniel Boulud, Robert Irvine, Stephanie Izard, Michelle Bernstein, and Ashley Christensen. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO.
ART COLOGNE
DATE: November 5 – November 8
LOCATION:
BRIEF: As the first art fair in the world, ART COLOGNE is the most important industry meeting point for galleries and institutions in Germany. ART COLOGNE 2026 feature a diverse selection of galleries across the Contemporary Art, Modern Art, and Neumarkt sectors. These sections provide a platform for both established galleries and emerging players to showcase outstanding art. Discover ART COLOGNE 2026 beyond the galleries! Look forward to a diverse programme featuring engaging talks, inspiring panel discussions, special exhibitions, award ceremonies and guided ARTtours. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO.
FRIEZE ABU DHABI
DATE: November 19 – November 22
LOCATION: Manarat Al Saadiyat
BRIEF: The inaugural edition of Frieze Abu Dhabi art fair will build on Abu Dhabi’s longstanding commitment to art and culture and its growing role within the global art world, with more than 80 galleries from 36 countries and regions participating. Dyala Nusseibeh is the Director, Frieze Abu Dhabi. The inaugural Frieze Abu Dhabi Artist Award is curated by Nabila Abdel Nabi , curator and art historian, and will be awarded to Beirut- and London-based artist Dala Nasser. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO.
GUGGENHEIM ABU DHABI OPENING
DATE: December 11, 2026
LOCATION: Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, Saadiyat Island
BRIEF: A Landmark Museum Rooted in the United Arab Emirates and Shaping Global Artistic Dialogue. Guggenheim Abu Dhabi will connect cultures, inspire people, and celebrate art from the 1960s to the present. Its inaugural programming features a dedicated architectural exhibition on designer Frank Gehry, alongside a global modern and contemporary art collection focused on West Asia, North Africa, and South Asia. Guggenheim Abu Dhabi is a museum of modern and contemporary art and will be a space for encounter and exchange, promoting a more connected and diverse global community through art. The museum has a unique identity and vision, shaped by Abu Dhabi’s artistic landscape and designed to reflect the United Arab Emirates’ stories and beyond, encouraging curiosity among younger generations about modern and contemporary art. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO.
DATE: December 2 – December 6
LOCATION: Miami Beach Convention Center
BRIEF: leading galleries from five continents show significant works by masters of Modern and contemporary art, as well as the new generation of emerging stars. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO.
MIAMI ART WEEK
DATE: November 30 – December 6
LOCATION: Miami, Florida
BRIEF: Miami Art Week, presented by PNC Bank, hosts over 20 international art fairs, more than 1200 galleries. Discover 20+ art fairs, 1,200+ galleries, thousands of artists, world-class museums, brand activations and unforgettable cultural experiences as Greater Miami transforms into one of the world’s premier destinations for art, culture and creative innovation during Miami Art Week™. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO.
