Miami Art Week’s Best Parties and Big Stars From Leonardo DiCaprio and Janelle Monáe to Emma Chamberlain and Lori Harvey

As Miami Art Week and lead fair Art Basel Miami Beach wraps up its 21st year, by night there were fashion events, popups, concerts, dining debuts, cocktail soirees and philanthropy moments to match and exceed every by-day art buy. During the week-long festivities — in which the Magic City is taken over by celebrities, musicians, artists and collectors — star chefs, performers, credit card companies and fashion, liquor and watch brands were all heavily in the mix alongside dealers and collectors. For some, it was quite possible to spend an entire week traversing from the beach to Brickell and from Downtown to the Design District attending art-adjacent parties and never even seeing any of the fairs.

Here are the highlights of what happened around town when everyone was not looking at art.

In its biggest fundraising event ever held on Dec. 7, Re:wild, the global environmental nonprofit backed by Leonardo DiCaprio as a founding board member, hosted Art of Nature at Superblue Miami. Raising more than $9 million — with $6 million pledged during the event — to support indigenous and local communities and to protect the world’s last remaining wild ecosystems around the globe, Re:wild addresses climate change, biodiversity loss and human wellbeing. In addition to DiCaprio, guests included Re:wild chair and CEO Wes Sechrest, businessman and philanthropist Ernesto Bertarelli, Fiat CEO Olivier Francios, indigenous rights activist Nina Gualinga, Sean Penn and Edward Enninful. Guests participated in an immersive art experience. Auctioneer Simon de Pury sold three one-of-a-kind electric cars designed by Armani, Kartell and Bvlgari that went for $600k total. Perry Farrell and Etty Lau Farrell performed and spotlighted the “Heaven After Dark” curation of artwork by three renowned contemporary artists, where the auction broke records for the artists’ work. 

DiCaprio, who is a major presence every year at the fairs, attended Tribeca Festival at the Miami Beach Botanical Garden on Saturday, Dec. 9, taking in Robert De Niro’s headlining talk with French artist JR. The two panelists discussed De Niro’s family legacy of art and shared a sneak peek of an upcoming documentary film, The Past Goes Fast, where the actor opens the doors of his abstract expressionist painter father’s studio (preserved for almost 30 years) to JR. This is the first time Tribeca has participated in Art Basel. The event featured four nights of live music performances and conversations. On Dec. 8, John Stamos engaged in a fireside chat about his New York Times best-seller, If You Would Have Told Me. Other programming included Tribeca co-founder and CEO Jane Rosenthal, Whalar co-founder Neil Waller and creator Delaney Rowe in conversation on how the creator industry is influencing storytelling and marketing, moderated by Vibe editor-in-chief Datwon Thomas.

In the Tribeca Music Lounge, live performances and DJ sets ruled from Eartheater and DJ Dangerous Rose, who most recently opened for Beyoncé’s Renaissance tour. DJ Natasha Diggs presented “Soul in the Horn” with Yussef Dayes, a dance party featuring horn-infused sounds from around the globe. KaMillion and Jonica Booth from the MAX Original series Rap Sh!t talked about the discovery of new music through TV and film. British electronic musician Actress closed out the Lounge. 

With the eyes of the world on Miami during art week, splashy restaurant debuts were part of the party scene as well. L.A.’s The h.wood Group premiered their East Coast version of Hollywood and Las Vegas supper club Delilah. The preview on Dec. 6, presented by BOSS in partnership with cookware company Hexclad, brought a parade of celebrities (Shakira, DiCaprio, Sophia Bush, Pierce Brosnan, Diplo, David Grutman, Zack Braff, Alix Earle, Leon Bridges, Ricky Gervais, Larsa Pippen, Marcus Jordan, Jordan Belfort, Gucci Westman, Daymond John) to Brickell Key to enjoy performances by DJ Khaled, Tyga and Janelle Monáe. On Dec. 7, HexClad celebrated women in the arts at Art Basel in partnership with Matte and the Polina Berlin Gallery. Delilah Miami officially opens Dec. 15.

Also on Dec. 6, Cartier launched the Time Unlimited exhibition in North America, which will be on view in Miami until Dec. 22. The party gave VIPs a chance to check out the exhibition, which artfully tells the story of Cartier’s watchmaking universe with immersive experiences throughout. Some of the Maison’s most classic works appeared to float weightless through dramatically lit displays. Emma Chamberlain, Kaytranada, Dwayne Wade, Diplo, Jeremy Pope, Leon Bridges, James Blake, Lily Chee and Alix Earle, all decked out in Cartier, made their way through the space.

On the heels of the mid-November opening of ZZ’s Club New York — Major Food Group’s first private membership concept in NYC, which houses the ultra-exclusive Carbone Privado — the hospitality group gave The Hollywood Reporter a sneak peek of the new Chateau ZZ’s inside a historic Miami Estate from 1931. Chateau ZZ’s with its solarium, bar, lounge and gardens will be Jeff Zalaznick, Mario Carbone and Rich Torrisi’s first Mexican concept and features a second floor for members only. Tuxedo-clad captains will serve tableside guacamole. Look also for an interpretation of the original recipe for Caesar Salad, which was born in Tijuana in the 1920s. The beverage program will boast more than 1,000 tequilas and mezcals, including dozens that cannot be found at any other restaurant. Since MFG opened the original ZZ’s Club in the Miami Design District in 2021, they have taken over the city with eight ventures including the original ZZ’s, Carbone, Sadelle’s Coconut Grove, Sadelle’s at KITH Miami Design District, HaSalon, Contessa and Dirty French Steakhouse.

In 2021 and 2022, American Express Platinum and its booking platform Resy pulled off large-scale beach-side and dining-event activations during Art Week. In 2023, Chase Sapphire and Capital One appeared on the scene as well.

On Friday, Dec. 8, American Express Platinum hosted the whimsical PLAY party outside The Miami Beach Edition, with Lori Harvey, Chanel Iman, Aly Raisman, Yvonne Orji, Batsheva Haart, Dale Moss, Shantell Martin and more.

Featuring oversize reimagined toys as collectable art, PlayLab, Inc. and Mattel Creations partnered on creating the works from artists Eny Lee Parker (a plush toy crafted from leftover upholstery), Surin Kim (a toy car inscribed with “be happy and rich” in Korean), Serban Ionescu (“City of Canals,” a chessboard and hand-sculpted chess piece set) and Kumkum Fernando (“Tomorrow,” a toy robot crafted from wood embedded with neodymium magnets). The toys will be available for purchase online starting Dec. 11.

On Saturday, Dec. 9, shuttered iconic department store Barneys New York threw a bash for its 100-Year Anniversary at Nobu Hotel, sponsored by Ketel One Vodka, Don Julio Tequila and Mr. Black. While that might seem slightly odd since the retail outlet closed its doors officially in 2020, Barneys is now launching a magazine. Tommy and Dee Hilfiger, Cindy Crawford, Wayne Gretzky, Jay Washington, Shannon Stokes, Dorian Braxton, Young Paris, Marta Bloom, Daniela Uribe, Krystyna Lokin, and Kea Ho made the scene along with Barneys New York’s former CEO and creative director, Gene Pressman. The crowd had Ketel One Cosmopolitans, Ketel One Mules and Ketel One Espresso Martinis in hand.