New Yorkers will get a rare look inside more than 300 buildings and hidden corners of the city this fall, from the cavernous Brooklyn Army Terminal to the city's own Department of Transportation sign shop, when Open House New York Weekend runs October 16 through October 18. The festival will unlock destinations not routinely open to the public, including views of the Flatiron Building at dusk and access to the rooftop gardens at Rockefeller Center.
According to PIX11, the nonprofit will reveal its full lineup of participating sites on September 25, with tickets for the most in-demand, space-restricted tours going on sale October 2. Those reservations are for space-restricted tours, according to Rockefeller Center, even though more than 160 participating locations include free, spontaneous drop-in spots that require no advance booking at all.
This year's festival marks Open House New York's 25th anniversary. The organization traces its roots to the aftermath of September 11, according to the group's own account. Its inaugural festival launched in 2003, and the annual event has since become a fixture of the city's civic calendar.
A Festival That Draws Nearly Every ZIP Code
The scale of the weekend has grown considerably since those early years. Open House New York Weekend now attracts roughly 50,000 visitors annually, with participants representing 89 percent of New York City's ZIP codes in 2025, per the organization's own figures. That reach underscores the festival's citywide scale.
Urban planner Kristin LaBuz now leads the organization as Executive Director, after being part of the Open House New York team since 2018, according to AIA New York. Under her tenure, the festival introduced guided tours conducted in Spanish and Mandarin for the first time in 2024, an effort to broaden accessibility for non-English-speaking residents, as reported by Madame Architect.
Funding Fights Shape the Festival's Backdrop
The push to expand access comes as the city's design and architecture nonprofits face financial headwinds. Those pressures reflect a broader challenge for cultural institutions seeking to sustain citywide programming.
Open House New York has leaned on its own fundraising to support the festival. The organization raised more than $500,000 at its annual Open City Benefit on April 28, held atop 3 World Trade Center to mark the 25th anniversary, with proceeds supporting its public programs, the group has said. The organization also runs year-round efforts, including Water Works, a program launched with the city's Department of Environmental Protection in 2025 that offers public tours of reservoirs, sewage pump stations, and climate-resilience infrastructure.
Kickoff Party Set Inside the Woolworth Building
The 2026 festival weekend will open spaces most New Yorkers never get to see up close, including a tour of the Department of Transportation's sign shop and the Brooklyn Army Terminal in Brooklyn.
