TEFAF is the fair many collectors treat as the start of the year in the market for old masters, antiquities, jewellery and design. In 2027 TEFAF Maastricht runs from 13 to 18 March at the MECC Maastricht, with two invitation-only days before it opens to the public. This guide covers the schedule as TEFAF publishes it, how the week is structured, and how to plan travel and a stay in a small city that is very full that week. A separate section covers TEFAF New York in May.
We do not sell TEFAF tickets and cannot place anyone on the invitation list. Tickets are sold by TEFAF. What we arrange is everything around the fair: the journey, the hotel, the car and dinner.
TEFAF Maastricht 2027: dates and venue
Per tefaf.com, as checked on 19 October 2026:
- Invitation-only days: 11 and 12 March 2027.
- Public days: 13 to 18 March 2027, open daily from 11am to 7pm.
- Venue: MECC Maastricht, Forum 100, 6229 GV Maastricht, the Netherlands.
TEFAF sells tickets through its own website, and online sales open in mid-October. Prices differ by day and by ticket type and are on tefaf.com, so check there. The fair asks visitors not to bring coats, umbrellas, large bags or suitcases into the halls; there is a cloakroom and there are lockers at the entrance. That matters if you are arriving from the airport on the day: send your luggage to the hotel first.
How the week works
As at every major fair, the week divides into two. The invitation-only days come first, and these are when many dealers meet their established clients and when a number of important works change hands before the public arrives. TEFAF states that 11 and 12 March are by invitation only. Invitations are not something you buy in a ticket shop, which is why a good relationship with a dealer or an adviser matters more than any pass. We explain the logic in our piece on how Basel, Frieze and 1-54 really work; the same rules apply here, and TEFAF is the fair we single out there for its vetting.
The public days are a different experience: the aisles are fuller, dealers have less time for long conversations, and the best approach is to book a slot with the dealers you most want to see. If you are visiting only on the public days, aim for a weekday morning, and give yourself a full day rather than a half one. The fair is large, with a lot to read and a lot to look at slowly.
What to see and how to look
TEFAF is a fair of dealers, so the question is whom to see, not what to see. A first-time visitor does better to choose three or four specialist dealers in the field they care about, and spend real time with each, than to walk every aisle. Ask to see condition reports and provenance on anything you are considering. Ask each dealer how a work was examined and what documents come with it. If a purchase is serious, our art advisory page explains how an independent adviser fits in.
Getting there and where to stay
Maastricht is in the south-east of the Netherlands, close to the Belgian and German borders. It is a small city, and the fair fills its hotels and restaurants for the full week, so the sequence of decisions is simple: fix your days first, then the hotel, then the travel. Rooms within walking distance of the MECC go first, and anywhere in the old centre is a short taxi away. If you would rather stay outside the city, say so and we will look at the options.
For travel, we arrange flights, rail and ground transfers from the UK, Europe and further afield, and a chauffeur for the day if you want one. We confirm routes and timings for your dates rather than publishing a standard itinerary, since the best option depends on where you start.
Dinner
Dealers and collectors dine in the city in the evenings, and tables for the weekend are the first to go. If you have a dinner with a dealer, give us the time and place and we will build the rest of the evening around it. For a quieter night, tell us what you like to eat and where you would rather not be seen, and we will find somewhere suitable. We ask for details at the time of the request, since fair-week tables are limited.
After Maastricht: TEFAF New York
TEFAF New York runs from 14 to 18 May 2027 at the Park Avenue Armory in Manhattan, per tefaf.com. The format is the same — dealers, a vetted selection and a public run —. We have not seen invitation days or ticketing for New York published yet, so we will not guess them. If you are planning a spring that includes both, treat Maastricht as the primary fair and New York as the second look.
Both appear on our March events calendar and the May month that follows.
A simple timeline
Because the fair is five months away, the useful work is in the order you do things. This is the sequence we suggest to guests.
- Now to December: decide whether you are going for the invitation-only days or the public run, and speak to the dealers or advisers you work with about invitations.
- By January: fix the days, then book the hotel. Maastricht has a limited number of rooms and the best ones are taken early.
- February: book travel, dinners and a car, and sort out any shipping or payment arrangements for works you may buy. Our guide to shipping art, customs and freeports covers what to ask in advance.
- The week before: confirm timings, pick-up points and the dealers you have appointments with.
How we help
VIP and hospitality only. At TEFAF we arrange the week around the fair: invitation-day access where it can be requested, the stay, the dinners and the travel. We do not sell general admission or standard tickets; those are sold by each organiser directly.
We arrange the days around the fair: travel, a hotel, drivers and tables. We do not sell fair tickets, promise access to an invitation-only day or guarantee that a specific work will be available. Message our WhatsApp concierge with your dates and your party, and tell us whether you are going for the invitation days or the public run.