One of New York City’s most beloved weekends is back. Open House New York Weekend returns October 16–18, 2026, and this 24th annual festival is unlocking more than 300 destinations across all five boroughs — from historic theaters and artist studios to infrastructure facilities that are normally off-limits to the public.
This year’s festival invites New Yorkers and visitors to step inside the city they thought they knew. Tours, talks and behind-the-scenes experiences reveal how the city works and how it was built: soaring rooftops, recording studios, manufacturing workshops, private collections, state-of-the-art performance spaces and beloved landmarks, many of them completely free.
Among the highlights is the Paradise Performing Arts Center in the Bronx, the former Loew’s Paradise Theatre built in 1929 as one of the city’s five Loew’s Wonder Theatres, now reimagined as a performing arts center and joining the festival as a destination for the first time. The full public lineup was revealed on September 25, and a limited number of ticketed experiences were released on October 2 at noon ET — most sites, however, are free and drop-in, no registration required.
The festival closes with a launch party at the iconic Woolworth Building on October 15. Whether you pick one neighborhood or wander across boroughs, the weekend is a joyful reminder of how much beauty is hiding behind closed doors in New York City.
Photo: Open House New York
