A month page is evergreen: it describes what every December looks like on the international calendar, then lists the dated events of the next December with their status.
01Where the season is concentrated
December has one great week and one great migration. The week is Art Basel Miami Beach and Design Miami in the first days of the month, when Miami Beach becomes the most concentrated art and fashion gathering in the Americas; the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix closes the Formula 1 season the same weekend or the next. La Scala opens its season on the 7th, the feast of Sant'Ambrogio; the Fashion Awards close London's fashion year; the Antigua Charter Yacht Show opens the Caribbean charter season in English Harbour.
Then the calendar empties into places. From the middle of the month the season divides between the Alps — Courchevel, Gstaad, St. Moritz, Aspen — and the Caribbean, above all St. Barts, where the last week of the year and New Year's Eve in Gustavia's harbour are the most concentrated days of the whole yacht calendar. Sydney's New Year's Eve and the Rolex Sydney Hobart start on Boxing Day carry the southern hemisphere; Capri, Hollywood closes the film year on the island. Le Bal des Débutantes in Paris and the Naples Winter Wine Festival's approach (late January) frame the philanthropic season.
02Major events
Week by week: the events that open each week of the month, the most important first.
Dec 1–6Week 1
Dec 21–27Week 3
Dec 28–31Week 4
03The ten defining events · December 2026
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1 Dec → Dec 6Miami Beach · United States · Design Design MiamiSignificant
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4 Dec → Dec 6Miami Beach · United States · Art Art Basel Miami BeachMajor
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4 Dec → Dec 6Abu Dhabi · United Arab Emirates · Motorsport Abu Dhabi Grand PrixSignificant
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4 Dec → Dec 9English Harbour · Antigua and Barbuda · Yachting Antigua Charter Yacht ShowRegional
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7 DecMilan · Italy · Society Teatro alla Scala Opening NightSignificant
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7 Dec → Dec 10Abu Dhabi · United Arab Emirates · Business & Finance Abu Dhabi Finance WeekNotable
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26 Dec → Jan 2, 2027Gustavia · Saint Barthelemy · Society St. Barts New Year's EveSignificant
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26 Dec → Jan 2, 2027Sydney · Australia · Yachting Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht RaceNotable
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26 Dec → Jan 2, 2027Capri · Italy · Film Capri, Hollywood International Film FestivalNotable
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31 DecSydney · Australia · Society Sydney New Year's EveRegional
04Important destinations
Miami Beach for the first week; Abu Dhabi for its weekend; Milan for one night; London for the awards; Antigua for the charter show; then St. Barts, Courchevel, Gstaad, St. Moritz, Aspen and Sydney for the festive fortnight. Dubai is at its most pleasant and its hotels at their fullest.
05Geographic movement
The clearest migration of the year: from the Miami art week south to St. Barts (a short flight via St. Maarten) or north-east to the Alps, and for many the sequence Miami → St. Barts → the Alps in January. Yachts that were in Antigua for the charter show are in Gustavia by the 28th. Abu Dhabi draws the Formula 1 world for its final weekend and holds much of it for the following week.
06Weather
Miami is at its best. St. Barts is at the start of its dry season with trade winds returning; the harbour at Gustavia is sheltered but the anchorage is crowded. The Alps have opened but early-season snow is not guaranteed at lower resorts; Courchevel and St. Moritz are the safer bets in mid-December. Abu Dhabi is warm and dry; Sydney is high summer.
07The most important weekends
The first weekend of December — Art Basel Miami Beach's public days, Design Miami, and in most years the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix — and the last days of the year in St. Barts, from the 28th to the 1st.
08Where the season moves next
January: the Alps at full strength, the Davos week, the Lauberhorn and Hahnenkamm, the Australian Open in Melbourne, Palm Beach's winter opening and the men's and couture fashion weeks. The Caribbean stays through April.