Dak'Art 2026: The Dakar Biennale Dates, Announced

Dak'Art, the Dakar Biennale of contemporary African art, is holding its 16th edition: the organisers have announced it for 19 November to 19 December 2026, under the theme (Anti)fragility. It is one of the continent's major art world dates, built around an official international exhibition and a wide range of events running in parallel across the city. Here is what to know before you plan a trip, plus a complementary stop: Ge'eza's gallery in Point E.

The dates and theme for this edition

According to the organisers' announcement, the 16th edition of Dak'Art will run from 19 November to 19 December 2026, under the theme (Anti)fragility. As with every edition, the full programme, exhibition venues, the artist list, professional meetings, tends to firm up in the months before opening. We recommend checking directly with Dak'Art's official channels before booking flights or accommodation, since dates and content can still shift between announcements.

A useful reminder: the previous edition

The 15th edition of Dak'Art ran from 7 November to 7 December 2024, after being postponed from the May date originally planned. Its theme was "The Wake." That recent history is a useful reminder that biennale dates can move between announcements, so it is worth checking official channels more than once as the event approaches, rather than relying on an early notice alone.

What a biennale of this scale involves

A contemporary African art biennale like Dak'Art typically brings together several strands: an international exhibition that sets the tone for the edition, associated shows at venues across the city, and a wide, parallel programme of events run by galleries, collectives and independent spaces, generally known as the Off. Our guide to the Dak'Art Biennale covers that structure in more depth and offers tips for experiencing it as a visitor, edition after edition.

A biennale with roots in the 1990s

Dak'Art was launched in the early 1990s, and over the decades it settled into its current rhythm: a biennial edition built around an international exhibition, with the Off growing alongside it as the city's own galleries, collectives and independent spaces joined in. Its lineage runs back further still, to the 1966 World Festival of Black Arts, which first turned Dakar into a continental cultural stage. For visitors unfamiliar with Dakar, that history explains why a single edition of the Biennale draws so many venues into its orbit: it is not a one-off event imported into the city, but the latest chapter of a continuity decades in the making.

Combining the trip with the rest of the city's art scene

A trip built around the Biennale is also a good opportunity to see the rest of Dakar's art scene, since the city has more to offer than the dates of a single event. The Museum of Black Civilisations, the IFAN Théodore Monod museum, and the Village des Arts, where artist studios can be visited, all give a broader sense of the city beyond the Biennale's own calendar. None of these venues are run by Dak'Art, and their own hours and conditions should be checked separately, directly with each one.

What to know before you travel

If you are considering a trip to Dakar during the announced dates, a few practical points apply to any biennale of this size.

• Venues are spread across the city: build in time for travel, since traffic in Dakar can be heavy at certain hours.
• The programme firms up gradually: lists of venues and artists are usually completed in the weeks before opening.
• Book accommodation early, especially since past editions have drawn a large international audience.
• A biennale is best experienced over several days: grouping visits by neighbourhood works better than trying to see everything in one day.

The Off, in a nutshell

Alongside the official exhibition, many venues across the city run their own shows during the Biennale, a programme commonly called the Off. According to the Biennale's official site, venues can register for the Off without going through a selection process, which explains both its size and its variety from one edition to the next. We do not list any venue or programme for the 2026 edition here: the Off takes shape in the months leading up to opening, and each venue announces its own schedule in due course.

A stop in Point E, alongside the Biennale

Whether you are in Dakar for the Biennale or for any other reason, Ge'eza's gallery, at 656 avenue Birago Diop in Point E, is open year round at the restaurant's hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 8am to 10pm, closed Mondays. It shows work by artists from East Africa, West Africa and the diaspora, with pieces available to buy and a price given on request from each artwork's page. It is an easy stop to slot between exhibitions, over an Ethiopian lunch or a coffee. For a wider look at the city's art venues, our guide to art galleries in Dakar rounds out this stop.

Checking before you travel

For anything concerning the Biennale's own programme, exact dates, international exhibition venues, artist lists, go to Dak'Art's official sources: Ge'eza does not organise the Biennale and does not speak on its behalf. To plan a visit to the gallery during your stay, write on WhatsApp to +221 78 660 07 07 or email geezacultures@gmail.com, or simply stop by Point E during opening hours and ask about the price of a piece you like from its page.