How to spend 96 hours in Miami during Art Basel Roadmap of a weekend between NFT art, party at the Circoloco and tequila by the pool
Let me start by saying that 96 hours is way too long to spend in Miami. I was originally supposed to be there for 72 hours, but I allowed myself to be talked into spending another day blissfully drinking tequila seltzers at Soho Beach House, where nobody was screaming “I’m on the list!”, “Is there an onsite PR?”, “I’m ACTUALLY supposed to be at this event.” or “I’m press!”. 3/4 of these phrases, I, unfortunately, said about 18 times.
Thursday, December 2nd
10:45AM - The airplane wheels touched Miami’s ground exactly when they were supposed to, and after peacefully sleeping through what my seat partner said was “the worst turbulence of her entire life”, I was really excited to get off of the plane from Los Angeles, and into my hotel so that I could shower, and start my day of acting even the slightest bit knowledgeable about art.
7:00 PM - Fondazione Marcelo Burlon hosted a fun “Hands on Sand” party on Faena’s beachfront. The incredible party, DJ’d by Pascal Moscheni and friends, was nearly eclipsed by the intensely hued, grandiose beauty of the installation “Hall of Visions” by Pilar Zeta. Faena Art housed this amazing installation the entirety of Art Basel, and as the Miami sun set against the vibrantly colored sunset and thrashing waves, the fusion of music, art, and a very Miami crowd (lets see how many times I use it in this article), Art Basel was off to a pretty incredible start.
10:10PM - We are on our way to Rüfüs Du Sol! I love a superstar DJ set, and I must say this set was the most momentous part of the night. I have yet to hear them perform their own melodic symphony of music, so to hear them spin a mix of their music, along with other deep house bangers, made for one of the most memorable experiences of Art Basel. Their set was a much deeper and, I might say, darker sound than what I would have ever anticipated, and what’s even more important, is that the crowd was happy to dance until the very end.
Simultaneously happening in a warehouse-esque setting adjacent to the performance, was an NFT gallery. Even more special, was the 3-D NFT presentation that, mixed with my slight state of inebriation, totally freaked me out while simultaneously captivating me for what felt like 20 minutes (I think it lasted about 3.)
19:41 PM – HBOMax held a Human By Orientation (very good play on words) event which was very calming and starkly contrasting to the rest of Art Basel’s high energy events. Art, delicious cocktails, finger foods, and the crowd’s mellow energy, mixed together for quite an enjoyable hour.
21:47 PM – Cardi B launched her vodka infused whipped cream “Whipshots” at Pharell and Dave Grutman’s The Goodtime Hotel. This innovative treat, (packing a strong 10% alcohol) definitely provided the good time everyone expects from anything Cardi B puts her hands in. An attendee yelled “Cardi creamed on me!”, after Cardi sprayed a Whipshot into her mouth. In true superstar form, Cardi stayed no more than 20 minutes (I mean, how long can you stand 30 people pressing their phones into your face?) before disappearing into Miami’s night, no doubt on her way to a very fabulous celebration for launching, what I imagine to be, a rather successful alcohol infused treat.
1:10 AM – Playboy Party Pt.2 commenced and I must say, I don’t remember the door process at all, so it was clearly the simplest of the weekend. Kitty Ca$h was spinning a Vogue/New Jersey club beat that totally made my crew and I stir up the dance floor. I think I lasted about 45 minutes before deciding that I needed to sleep.
Sunday, December 5th
10:00 AM – I am supposed to leave today, but I allow my friend to convince me to stay until Monday. I finally ate breakfast after completely dismissing it from my Art Basel diet.
15:00 PM – We arrive at a bustling and busy Soho House (Miami’s Soho Beach House to be specific). Everyone is smiling, and the staff is taking this boost in traffic surprisingly well (I may have had 4 mental breakdowns by now, but I guess that’s the difference in mental strength between Soho House staff and myself). Leon Bridges and Dash, in my opinion, threw the most enjoyable, energy packed party of all of Art Basel. Four shots of tequila later, I’m on the beach, dancing to Dash’s energetic set, being overly flirty with a guy who’s visiting from New York for the “Crypto Yacht Party”. Very Miami.
18:20 PM - I’m dining at a packed Cecconi’s (conveniently located inside of Soho House), inhaling rigatoni, pizza, spinach, and fries at an alarmingly fast rate. I actually finished my food before the Uber, which was 17 minutes away, arrived.
Monday, December 6th
11:20 AM – I board my flight, back to my precious Los Angeles, feeling irritable, happy, bloated (from Cecconi’s) and overall, confident that Miami, and it’s chaotic energy, will be seeing my face next year.
