Your Ultimate Guide to Frieze Week in London
From the fashion pop-ups to the foodie hotspots and, of course, the art.
Spooky season, pumpkin-spiced lattes and, of course, Frieze Art Fair… happy October, everyone. The big white tent is back in London’s Regent’s Park, bringing with it a sea of Tabi-wearing, tote-bag-carrying gallerinas, art-world insiders and the potential Leonardo DiCaprio sighting. Inside, expect a packed programme of emerging talent and art-world heavyweights, while across the city, Frieze Week is taking over with exhibition openings, buzzy collaborations, exclusive drops and parties that may or may not involve a free glass of champers.
Whether you’ve got a golden ticket to get through the gates, want to sound clued-up on what’s happening inside, or are simply here for the cultural side quests around town, we’ve got you covered. Consider this your ultimate guide to Frieze Week in the big smoke, covering everything worth eating, drinking, seeing, shopping and dancing your way through. Read on for everything worth name-dropping this week.
Where To Eat
Sessions Arts Club
Only opening in 2021, Sessions Arts Club has already become a London institution and favorite among the city’s fashion crowd. Hosting exhibitions, private industry events, kitchen collaborations and more, it’s no surprise when you find out founder Jonny Gent is actually an artist himself. Now for the third year running, Sessions (as its regulars refer to it) is hitting the Frieze tent for another immersive takeover and teaming up with Gent’s creative practice Cabin Studio to present Pilgrimage, an immersive installation exploring the idea of journeying without a fixed destination. The restaurant takes its genius beyond just the culinary and also taps London jewelry brand CompletedWorks as a collaborator, designing the chef uniforms and also providing pieces to put on display. Since exploring the big white tent can take hours, if not a whole day, book yourself in for a lunch to escape the chaos (and the queues).
MITSU
Outside the tent, restaurants across the city stage activations and collaborations to take part in the art world chaos and provide some top-tier dining options that also combine a bit of that creative spirit. For the week, MITSU in Shoreditch partnered with East London gallery StolenSpace to transform its bar, restaurant and private dining rooms into a contemporary art showcase. Bringing together works by Japanese artists and international creatives, the installation features pieces by COOK, Kiseok Kim and Sean Sweeney in the bar, while the restaurant and private dining room spotlight portraits by Japanese artist Shigeki Matsuyama alongside works by Rowdy. Reflecting the creative spirit of both MITSU and StolenSpace, the six-week collaboration brings together art, Japanese culture, food and nightlife, building on the restaurant’s growing reputation as a cultural hub in Shoreditch (oh, and they have karaoke rooms in case you need to blow off some Frieze-induced steam).
Maison François
Returning to Frieze London inside the tent, Maison François is bringing its signature French brasserie experience to Regent’s Park with a pop-up canteen serving fairgoers throughout the week. The St James’s restaurant offers a menu of French classics, including charcuterie, roast chicken and frites, alongside its signature dessert trolley and chocolate éclairs, because we all know you need a little something to get you through the day. New additions for this year include salmon rillettes with radishes and burrata with pumpkin, among others, celebrating seasonal produce while giving the art crowd a taste of Parisian dining in the heart of the fair (perhaps a warm-up ahead of Art Basel in Paris next week?)
Art To See
Soldier: Military Abstractions
While it may feel like you have to get yourself a Frieze ticket to see all the major artwork this week, there’s actually a huge amount of exhibitions across the city, and many of them are free. Plaster Magazine teamed up with London-based artist Leonard “Soldier” Iheagwam for Military Abstractions. Taking over the first two floors of Plaster HQ in Soho, the showcase features six new large-scale artworks, alongside 50 original editions and limited-edition merchandise. Originally from Lagos, Nigeria, Soldier explores themes of identity, family dynamics and warfare through a distinctive visual language that draws on military surplus, skate culture, religious iconography and American pop culture. Camouflage serves as a recurring motif throughout his practice, acting as both a visual signature and a conceptual tool. After a hugely successful opening evening last week, with crowds spilling out onto the streets of Soho to celebrate the artist, this is not one to miss.
Issy Wood: Self-Portraits
The National Portrait Gallery has named British-American artist Issy Wood as the first artist featured in its new contemporary programme, Artist Focus. Opening with Issy Wood: Self-Portraits, the exhibition brings together 11 intimate paintings from the artist’s ongoing series, seven of which have never been publicly exhibited. The works explore identity and self-representation through Wood’s distinctive use of cropping, distortion and concealment, blurring the lines between portraiture and psychological narrative. Free to visit in the Gallery’s Weston Wing, the presentation marks the first time Wood’s self-portraits have been exhibited together, launching a new programme dedicated to artists reimagining the boundaries of portraiture. If you do find yourself in the Frieze tent, one of Wood’s works is also on display towards the entrance.
Where To Shop
APOC Store with Ella Fleck and Jouissance Parfums
One of London’s coolest concept stores, APOC Store, is taking part in the art week mania with an installation showcasing the work of Ella Fleck alongside perfume house Joissance Parfums, to launch Screen, a new fragrance inspired by Fleck’s ongoing exploration of masking and disguise. Created by perfumer Chng Xmng, the scent will be unveiled through an immersive installation at APOC Store, coinciding with Fleck’s Frieze debut in the fair’s Focus section with Ehrlich Steinberg. Available exclusively in-store and online, Screen arrives in three limited-edition, numbered bottles designed by the artist, bringing together fragrance, art and design in a collectible release.
Dover Street Market: BUNNEY for Martine Rose
Dover Street Market is not only the place to be for fashion lovers, but also for the art lovers out there. Martine Rose and Bunney are joining forces on a special collaborative collection, launching October 15 at Dover Street Market in-store and online as part of Frieze 2026. Exploring the community center as an important social space, the collection transforms familiar objects associated with pubs, clubs and community halls into precious metal jewellery and collectable pieces. Centered on the humble bottle top, the range reimagines its crimped edge in sterling silver and gold, alongside designs inspired by dimpled pint glasses and bottle openers. Made in the UK using traditional techniques, the collaboration combines Rose’s interest in everyday cultural references with Bunney’s commitment to considered craftsmanship, turning ordinary objects into lasting keepsakes. Beyond this, DSM will also see Rei Kawakubo create a special window installation alongside limited-edition T-shirts featuring selected artwork from the magazine, also launching in-store and online on October 15.
