Biennales in Europe

Europe holds the oldest and densest network of biennales. The Venice Biennale opened its first International Art Exhibition in 1895 and still runs national pavilions beside a curated central show; documenta has returned to Kassel every five years since 1955; and Skulptur Projekte Münster takes public sculpture as its subject once a decade. Around them sits a younger field shaped after 1989: Manifesta, founded in Rotterdam in 1996, moves to a new host city each edition, while the Berlin Biennale and the Liverpool Biennial, both founded in 1998, tie themselves to one city.

Five editions are open as of October 1, 2026. Venice’s 61st, In Minor Keys, conceived by Koyo Kouoh, runs to November 22. The 18th Lyon Biennale runs to December 13, the 11th Contour Biennale in Mechelen to November 1, and the 12th Bucharest Biennale to October 18. Manifesta 16, in former churches across the Ruhr, closes October 4. The 61st October Salon in Belgrade opens October 30.

The 2027 calendar is unusually full. documenta 16, under Naomi Beckwith, runs June 12 to September 19, and the 6th Skulptur Projekte runs June 13 to October 3. The Venice Architecture Biennale opens May 8, the Athens Biennale April 2, the Prague Quadrennial June 8, and the Helsinki Biennial June 6. Liverpool’s 14th edition opens June 5, the 14th Berlin Biennale is set for summer, and the 19th Istanbul Biennial runs September 18 to November 14. GIBCA in Gothenburg, EVA International in Limerick, the Beaufort Triennial, and the Florence Biennale also return. See the 2027 calendar for every date.