Open House New York Weekend Opened 300+ Sites Across NYC's Five Boroughs

Open House New York Weekend, the annual festival run by Open House New York (OHNY), took place October 16–18, 2026, across all five boroughs. It opened more than 300 destinations for behind-the-scenes tours and special activities. Organizers cite roughly 1,000 volunteers and 50,000 participants.

The range of sites was wide: new buildings reshaping the skyline, infrastructure facilities that keep the city running, parks offering respite, state-of-the-art performance spaces, manufacturing workshops and private collections. Photos from past editions show a rooftop lawn at Rockefeller Center, the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation in a former church with Gothic windows, a coffee-roasting demonstration at Buunni, the New York Sign Museum, and rowing at Anable Basin in Long Island City with the Long Island City Community Boathouse. This year's festival identity was carved in stone by Chris Pelletieri, whose Pellettieri Stone Carvers' Academy was among the participating locations.

Getting in was straightforward. More than 150 destinations were Drop-In, so no tickets were needed. Some sites and tours required tickets because of limited space or security, and those were released on October 2. The lineup shifted before and during the weekend through changes, additions and cancellations, which OHNY posted on its Updates page.

To help visitors narrow the choices, the festival grouped sites into themed collections, including Bloomberg Connects, Family Friendly, Fan Favorites, Getting to Work, Innovation in Preservation, South Bronx, Staff Picks, Sunset Park and WTC at 25. Bloomberg Connects supported the 2026 weekend, along with public funding from the New York State Council on the Arts and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, and a list of additional sponsors.

The run-up had its own calendar: a members preview on September 18, the public reveal of the full lineup on September 25, ticket release on October 2, and a launch party and fundraiser on October 15. OHNY has announced that the weekend will return October 15–18, 2027. For architecture fans, and for anyone curious about a side of New York that standard sightseeing skips, it was three days of access to places that are usually closed.