The air of the London art world is sparking with excitement as we approach the year’s hottest week in art: Frieze. With so much to see, both in and out of the tent, how does anyone know where to begin… Here are our top tips, secrets and recommendations from some of art’s most wanted for surviving Frieze week 2025.

Where the insiders go for lunch

Eva Langret, artistic director of Frieze: “It’s no secret, but it’s important to stay hydrated and well fed. We have an incredible array of restaurants at Frieze and Frieze Masters. Sit down at Jekoni, Sessions Arts Club or Maison François. The fair has 168 booths and everyone is coming out with their A game! I’m excited for Gagosian who are showing Lauren Halsey, Modern Art, which has a solo of new ceramics by Sanya Kantarovsky; and also, Lehmann Maupin, which has a solo by Do Ho Suh. We have a number of new galleries including Garth Greenan, who is coming to the fair for the first time, and then in the Focus section, Coulisse Gallery with a solo by Rafał Zajko.”

The Frieze X ICA Artists’ Film Programme

The ICA will be hosting a series of film works by 10 artists including Cato Zone by Toby Cato shown with Harlesden High Street, DED by Martine Syms shown with Sadie Coles HQ, Broken Windows by Hannah Black shown with Arcadia Missa and Being Blue by Luke Fowler shown with The Modern Institute. The films will be played on a continuous loop in the ICA theatre for the duration of Frieze week, and available to view online at ica.art.

Helen Neven, director of Neven gallery: “With so much to see during Frieze week, it can be hard to fit it all in. East End Day, thoughtfully scheduled on the Sunday before Frieze (this year, October 12), gives you a head start: East London galleries open for extended hours 11am–6pm on the day of rest. Take advantage! Bring us coffee?”

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Don’t forget about satellite shows!

Alongside the main fair, London’s galleries are opening must-see exhibitions in their own spaces: Our Blue by Nele Bergmans and Te Palandjian at Bolding gallery, and Staged Surfaces by Hannah Tilson at Cedric Bardawil. Sadie Coles and Modern Art debut new galleries, while Maureen Paley inaugurates her latest space with Wolfgang Tillmans’s Build From Here, spanning all three of her galleries. Not to be missed.

Don’t forget your antivirus spray

Harriet Lloyd-Smith, managing editor Plaster Magazine: “It’s all anyone’s snorting these days and it’s your only protection against the dreaded Frieze Week Flu! Art-wise, I’m looking forward to Dana Schutz’s show, One Big Animal, at Thomas Dane Gallery. Her paintings are always a psychological trip — expect to laugh, cry and have a few nerves shredded.”

Peter Davies, artist: “The energy coming from London’s emerging art scene, combined with that of overseas galleries, is unprecedented for my 30 years here as an artist. It has revitalised Frieze. This is a special, magical time. I think it’s eclipsing the 1990s and will be reflected upon historically.”

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It’s 5pm somewhere and a spoonful of tequila helps the art go down. For a quick pick-me-up, I like to head to the designated smoking area AKA the Frieze watering hole for a pre-lunch cocktail. But don’t go crazy, you never know who you might bump into.

For most, a day at Frieze begins with a hangover. The only thing to protect against the glaring fluorescent bulbs and those pesky collectors you’re trying to avoid are massive black-out sunglasses.

Alexandra Bachzetsis at The Hellenic centre

Nayia Yiakoumaki, curator: ‘The Hellenic Centre presents the UK Premiere of RUSH(ES), the new performance by acclaimed Swiss–Greek choreographer Alexandra Bachzetsis. We are also hosting BOOKMORPHS: an exhibition that brings together a diverse selection of artists’ books from Greece and the UK. This is accompanied by our much-loved public Breakfast and Conversation on October 17, now something of a tradition for our audience and Frieze VIPs. Located just a 10-minute walk from Regent’s Park, these early conversations make for a perfect prelude before the day at Frieze begins. A tip for newcomers: join the Frieze-curated walks to gallery openings as they’re a smart way to save time and get an insider’s perspective.”

Don’t miss Sophia Al-Maria’s comedy club

This year’s Frieze Artist Award winner brings her new stand-up act Wall Based Work (a Trompe LOL) to life in a makeshift comedy club inside the tent. Catch her performance daily at 4.30pm for a dose of much-needed comic relief.

Lawrence Lek, artist and recipient of the 2024 Frieze artist award: “Come south! I’m having a solo retrospective called Life Before Automation at Goldsmiths CCA.”

New arrivals a short walk away: YDP on Bedford Square, and Ibraaz is opening on October 14 on Mortimer Street. There’s also Adham Faramawy at Niru Ratnam, Arthur Jafa at Sadie Coles HQ Kingly Street, and Hannan Jones & Shamica Ruddock at Forma.

The Founder of Dean’s Bottom: “Flu season’s in full swing, so maybe keep your distance — unless you’re stopping by The Shop at Sadie Coles for Leo Costelloe’s exhibition with NEVEN. Ask Helen for a spritz of Kitchen, created with Dean’s Bottom, my platform for artists exploring scent within their practice. Then on October 17, Gray Wielebinski, Manuka Honey and Agustine Zegers present a performance at The Deadhouse for AGM, Somerset House Studios’ annual night of performances — complete with diffusers, scent, and a touch of the ominous.”

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Christelle Oyiri at Gathering

Artist and DJ Christelle Oyiri presents Venom Voyage, a futuristic travel agency where tourist fantasy confronts the environmental devastation of Martinique and Guadeloupe, due to the use of a toxic insecticide used on banana plantations that has poisoned soil and water. For an acid collision of holiday memories and toxic reality head to Gathering’s booth in the Focus section.

An anonymous gallery director in London: “After suffering a drunk magazine editor (I barely knew) regaling their deepest traumas in an inescapable corner of the Groucho Club, I realised the adage ‘nothing good happens after midnight’, which should be printed on the back of Frieze staff entry passes. Also: trust me, Chiltern Firehouse is never a good idea.”

Hannah Tilson, artist: “If you’re heading in with friends, pick a meeting point beforehand. Like Notting Hill Carnival, NYE in central London, or most elevators, there is hardly any phone signal in the tent and you will end up like Kevin McCallister — but instead of being home alone on Christmas Eve, you’ll be in a frenzy of Basel limited-edition Labubus and flâneur’s dressed in borrowed glories.”

Ebun Sodipo at Soft Opening

Soft Opening, a recent graduate of the Focus section, will be presenting collages and three new bronze works by Ebun Sodipo in the Main galleries section. Sodipo says: “Dress well. Get a map. Eat. The food is always divine. Make it at least a two-day affair: do a quick zoom around, taking note of your favourite things, then the second or third day come back to take time with the works and galleries you’ve made a note of. Go and see Harlesden High Street, Public Gallery and Gray Wielebinski at Nicoletti Contemporary.”

Sofia Hallström, artist and writer: “Don’t miss fresh arrivals from across the Atlantic shaking up the Focus scene in the fair. Among them King’s Leap (New York), presenting Michelle Uckotter’s cinematic paintings and meditations on femininity and violence, and Galerie Eli Kerr (Toronto) with Marlon Kroll’s poetic, large-scale works.” Also, check out The Pit from California, showing Viola Frey.

Okiki Akinfe, artist: “For the love of god, please eat a meal before Frieze. Don’t try to be a hero and pop in before skipping off to Frieze masters (which is a much longer walk than you think) — unless you’re lucky enough to snag a VIP BMW. Realistically you’ll be a few glasses of champagne deep before noticing it’s hit you quicker than you anticipated. I’ll be stopping by Rita’s, who will be doing a grab-and-bite menu.”

Stay energised by whatever means necessary

Alex Margo Arden, artist: “You’ll need an energy drink. The drink of choice — always a Monster Mango Ultra Fiesta. This is the occasion to slip into your most decadent antique look because the carpeted floors won’t dare stain your gown. On arrival at the fair you have to glide straight to the Focus section. Watch out for the museum mannequins!”