Startup Art Fair San Francisco 2026

Startup Art Fair SF is the premier hotel art fair for professional, independent artists. The core mission of Startup is to provide a supportive platform that gives those artists the power to grow their careers and present and sell work on their own terms.

Our three-day fair is April 17 - 19, 2026 is held at the fun and funky Hotel Del Sol, the iconic 1950s motor lodge in the beautiful Marina District adjacent to the Bay, the Palace of Fine Arts, and the Golden Gate Bridge. Startup will run concurrently with the prestigious San Francisco Art Fair at Fort Mason, which is within walking distance of the del Sol. By aligning with SF Fair, a cornerstone of the Bay Area art scene since 2011, we're participating in what promises to be an extraordinary weekend of art discovery in San Francisco where tens of thousands of visitors will be coming to discover and buy art.

Application deadline is rolling and accepted artists can immediately select their preferred space. Don't wait—early applicants get the best rooms!

Your artwork will be reviewed by an impressive Selection Committee of art world professionals. 

• Grace Kook-Anderson, Curator of Northwest Art at the Portland Art Museum, OR
• Demetri Broxton, Artist and Executive Director of Root Division, San Francisco
• Jennifer McCabe,  Director and Chief Curator of SFO Museum, San Francisco

Those selected from the open application process will each take over a hotel room for the course of three days to present a solo show of their work. At Startup, you take control of your career and create your own success: install your artwork, make your own sales, speak directly to potential collectors and art world professionals and unlike most contemporary artist fairs, you keep 100% of your sales. 

Rooms range from 175sf with 20 linear feet of wall space ($2200) up to 425sf and 95 linear feet of wall space ($4600). Our exhibitor fees per square foot and per linear feet of wall space are among the lowest of all art fairs, especially when you consider that the fee includes: 

• 4 nights at the hotel
• Complimentary continental breakfast each morning
• Complimentary overnight parking
• Complimentary fair passes your guests
• 24/7 security on the premises
• A personal artist page on the Startup website
• PR, advertising, and marketing through our newsletter, ad buys, and social media channels
• Curatorial and professional development support in the weeks before and after the fair
• Public liability insurance