If you like nosing around other people’s pads then you won’t wanna miss Open House Festival
For two weeks in September hundreds of buildings in the capital, many of which are usually closed to the public, swing open their doors and let you have a look inside. The charity Open City, whose mission is to make architecture and spaces more accessible to the communities that live around them, runs Open House Festival to encourage people to visit new places and help them engage with the city they live in. The festival encompasses hundreds of sites across all 33 boroughs of London and draws in tens of thousands of visitors, and this year is set to be its biggest edition yet.
Each year the Open House Festival programme is packed with a range of events like walking tours, workshops, guided tours and a whole host of buildings open for drop-ins. Some of the walking tour highlights include a tour of the murals on Broadwater Farm Estate and an immersive theatrical walk around Somers Town.
The guided tours and drop-in sessions run at participating buildings are the jewel in the crown of Open House Festival, and the first batch of buildings included in 2024’s programme have been revealed. This year you can take a look inside the #Merky FC HQ football and community centre in Selhurst, the Royal Courts of Justice, Heatherwick Studio’s space at Making House, Two-up Two-Down House, Walworth Town Hall, and the former British Sailors’ Society Mission.
There are also a few sites that are so popular, entry is run on a ballot system – this year they include the BT Tower, 10 Downing Street, BBC Broadcasting House, London Museum in West Smithfield (a behind-the-scenes tour as this is currently under construction), Trellick Tower, and the John Morden Centre and Morden College Almshouses, which won the 2023 RIBA Stirling prize. The ballots are open now and will close at midday on Weds 28th August, so get your names in the draw.
Key Information
Dates | Sat 14th – Sun 22nd September 2024
Address | Various London locations
For more information | openhouse.org.uk