| International photography festivals and fairs provide opportunities to discover lots of new artists and their work. They are also great places to make connections with people in the photographic community, both personally and professionally. Many of these events offer workshops, lectures, and artist talks along with the exhibitions. Even if you cannot attend in person, their websites have a wide variety of inspiring material. The short descriptions below are taken from the organizations’ respective websites. Click the links for further information — happy exploring!Discover even more festivals, fairs , exhibitions and events on LensCulture, updated and refreshed daily! |
| MARCH |
| FORMAT Festival March 16 – July 30 — Derby, UKFORMAT is the UK’s leading international contemporary festival of photography and related media. It organizes a year round programme of international commissions, open calls, residencies, conferences and collaborations in the UK and internationally and welcomes over 100,000 visitors from all over the world to its biennale.Learn More |
| APRIL |
| Capture April 1 – 30 — Vancourver, Canada Capture’s vision is to connect Vancouver to the world through lens-based art, and act as a platform to expand visual literacy. The Festival aims to connect communities to incite meaningful dialogue between artists, curators, audiences, organizations and institutions.Learn More |
| Circulation(s)April 6 – June 2 — Paris, France The singularity of Circulation(s) is to bring together the general public as well as professionals around a multiform adventurous and innovative program that questions the boundaries between photography and contemporary art. This year’s selection is punctuated by an unprecedented fluidity and an ever-stronger predilection for experimentation.Learn More |
| Kyotographie April 13 – May 12 — Kyoto, Japan KYOTOGRAPHIE, held in the spring in the ancient city of Kyoto, is one of the few truly international artistic events taking place in Japan. Valuable collections of photography and works by internationally renowned artists are exhibited in elegant, historic buildings as well as modern architectural spaces.Learn More |
| The Photography Show by AIPAD April 25 – 28 — New York, USAThe 43rd edition of The Photography Show will feature a carefully curated selection of contemporary, modern, and historic photography. Leading galleries will exhibit at the fair, and attendees will have the opportunity to experience an extraordinary range of styles, genres, and techniques from both emerging and established photographers.Learn More |
| Fotografia Europea April 26 – June 9 — Reggio Emilia, ItalyFotografia Europea 2024 attempts to capture nature by exploring how concealment and discovery are interconnected. The rich and diverse photographic series brought together for this edition engage with this sense of double or co-existence as a part of all life on earth.Learn More |
| MAY |
| Contact Photo Festival May 1 – 31 — Toronto, CanadaShowcasing exceptional projects by Canadian and international photographers and lens-based artists, CONTACT’s Core Program critically and creatively frames the social, cultural, and political events of our times. Exhibitions produced in collaboration with major museums, leading galleries, and artist-run centers are presented throughout Greater Toronto.Learn More |
| Les Boutographies May 4 – 26 — Montpellier, FranceLes Boutographies is complemented by exhibitions curated by the Parallèle section, and by off-site events hosted by a number of cultural venues involved in photography and contemporary art in and around Montpellier. Walking and cycling tours add to the pleasure of visiting exhibitions in an area that changes every year.Learn More |
| Photo London May 16 – 19 — London, UKPhoto London brings the finest international photography to the British capital every year. Along with a selection of the world’s leading photography dealers and galleries, Photo London’s Discovery section is dedicated to the most exciting emerging galleries and artists.Learn More |
| JUNE |
| Photoville June 1 – 16 — New York, USACollaborating with hundreds of artists and programming partners to curate and present over 80 outdoor exhibitions, Photoville Festival addresses a wide range of issues giving visitors a unique experience of thought-provoking and exceptional photography from across the globe.Learn More |
| Belfast Photo Festival June 1 – 30 — Belfast, Northern IrelandCapturing wide appeal through popular culture, accessible themes and unexpected encounters with engaging photography, Belfast Photo festival aims to instill and inspire public enjoyment, participation, positive social and environmental impact by utilizing the most accessible of artistic mediums and bringing it to both established and new audiences.Learn More |
| GetxophotoJune 6 – 30 — Getxo, Spain Getxophoto is a festival focused on the photographic image that has been held in the Getxo-Basque region since 2007. It is an initiative in continuous search of being more participative, committed and sustainable. This year the theme is Play.Learn More |
| Copenhagen Photo Festival June 6 – 16 — Copenhagen, Denmark Copenhagen Photo Festival hosts exhibitions, talks, events, and social gatherings for all to experience. With the theme ‘Entanglement,’ the festival encourages artists, photographers and emerging talents to think creatively across time, space and relations on all the ways we are co-dependently connected.Learn More |
| JULY |
| Rencontres d’Arles July 1 – September 29 — Arles, France Every summer since 1970, over the course of more than forty exhibitions at various of the city’s exceptional heritage sites, the Rencontres d’Arles has been a major influence in dissiminating the best of world photography and playing the role of a springboard for photographic and contemporary creative talents.Learn More |
| Cortona On The Move July 11 – November 3 — Cortona, Italy The international photography festival Cortona On The Move has been held since 2011 in the Tuscan town of Cortona, in the province of Arezzo. A protagonist of photographic production at the international level, the festival is a point of reference for photographers, curators, authors, critics, as well as the public. Learn More |
| Fotodoks July 13 – 16 — Munich, Germany FOTODOKS is an international festival for contemporary documentary photography that has established itself as the largest festival of its kind in Germany. A series of supporting events in a lively and personal atmosphere will offer lectures, artist talks and panel discussions with the exhibiting photographers, other experts and dialogue partners.Learn More |