The 22nd annual Open House New York (OHNY) Festival, October 18 to October 20, opens doors to 270 sites throughout the city for “behind-the-scenes” showings, walks, and tours.
The festival revolves around why New York City “looks, feels, and functions the way it does.” Participants will explore generally unseen places and spaces, go on tours, and walk through buildings that run the city or foster community. Out of the nearly 300 sites, 140 are open access and require no tickets to view. The festival’s “Weekend Passport” provides exclusive itineraries and expedited entry into all the open-access sites. Visitors can walk into those places during the establishments’ hours of operation. Otherwise, the majority of tickets are $6.
There are numerous OHNY-participating locations in each of NYC’s five boroughs. Places to visit include Bronx Music Hall, Nitehawk Prospect Park Rooftop, Little Island, New York Sign Museum, and Brooklyn Navy Yard.
A few more are Ravenswood Generating Station (NYC’s largest power plant), the Mount Morris Fire Tower (a designated New York City Landmark in Harlem), and the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine’s Textile Conservation Lab.
What Else Is There To Know About The 2014 Open House New York Festival?
OHNY has a “curated series” that includes hidden gems under various umbrella themes. Attendees might be interested in the “Family Friendly,” “Green Economy,” or “Structural Engineering” site compilations, to name a few.
The “Building Capital” collection is all about community building in The Concrete Jungle. The latter series will showcase spaces where “community organizers, designers, developers, funders, artists, and cultural institutions” collaborate to shape “new or noteworthy places for New Yorkers to gather, share, learn, live, work, and play.”
The festival’s launch party happens on October 17 at the United Palace Theater in Manhattan. Opening night will be celebrated the following day at DUMBO Archway Plaza.
