Open House Melbourne: Exploring the City’s Hidden Stories
One weekend. Hundreds of hidden stories.
Open House Melbourne 2026 has wrapped up for another year — thank you to everyone who joined us in exploring the city’s hidden stories.
This year’s Generous City theme brought over 180 buildings, tours and talks to life across the last weekend of July, from architecturally significant private homes to heritage sites most Melburnians never get to step inside.
Open House Melbourne returns in 2027 — pop your email below and we’ll let you know the moment next year’s dates and program are announced.
When is Open House Melbourne 2027?
Open House Melbourne runs at the end of July each year.
The full program is is usually confirmed in May.
What is Open House Melbourne?
Established in 2008, Open House Melbourne is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to good design and getting Melburnians genuinely engaged with the buildings and spaces that shape city life. Each year, the Open House Melbourne Weekend opens up significant buildings and sites across the city—from architectural landmarks to working infrastructure—that you can’t normally just wander into.
It’s not just for architecture buffs. Whether you’re curious about what’s behind a grand façade you’ve passed for years, or you simply enjoy a good nosy through somewhere new, Open House gives you a legitimate excuse to look behind the doors.
Do you need to book?
This trips a lot of people up, so it’s worth understanding now the program’s live.
- Most buildings are open access, which means you can simply turn up and join the queue—no booking required. Capacity limits still apply at popular sites, so be prepared to wait at busy times, especially mid-morning on the Saturday.
- Some tours and talks require booking because of limited capacity or timed entry. This will be clearly marked on the event listing, with a booking link attached.
- Booking fee: a $7 fee applies per visitor for tickets to limited-capacity or timed programs (the Designing with Country program and the Heritage Address are exceptions). This fee is non-refundable and goes towards ticketing administration costs.
- Bookings apply to children too. If you’re bringing grandchildren along to a booked event, they’ll need a ticket as well, for capacity reasons.
- Waitlists: if a booked event sells out, you can usually join a waitlist. If a spot frees up, you’ll get an email and need to act quickly to claim it.
- Tickets are released in two batches:
- First release: 12pm Wednesday 1 July 2026
- Second release: 10am Saturday 4 July 2026
Our tip: have a look through the program now and note which of your must-see buildings need booking ahead of 1 July. The most popular tours can fill within hours of release.
Kerrie’s experience with Open House
I’ve visited lots of buildings during Open House over the years—except during COVID, of course. Back then there were no costs like there are now for certain buildings, but it’s still great to see places that aren’t normally open to the public.
Some of my favourites have been the old substations (which sadly aren’t open on weekends anymore), the Myer Mural Hall, the Percy Grainger Building, and the tunnels under St Vincent’s Hospital.
This year, I’m hoping to check out the Brew Tour Museum and the Athenaeum Library!
Related reading: Melbourne Athenaeum Library: Find History & Literary Treasures
Highlights of the Open House Melbourne 2026 program
The 2027 program has not been announced. Below are our highlights from the 2026 events:
Abbotsford Convent (25–26 Jul 2026). Explore one of Melbourne’s most significant heritage precincts with guided tours showcasing its rich history, restored architecture, creative studios and beautiful gardens.
Australian Tapestry Workshop (25 Jul 2026). Discover the art of contemporary tapestry through studio tours, live weaving demonstrations and insights into the collaborative process behind internationally renowned textile artworks.
Clocktower Centre (24–26 Jul 2026). Discover the architecture and cultural history of this vibrant performing arts venue through guided tours and special access to normally restricted spaces.
Collingwood Yards (25 Jul 2026). Explore Melbourne’s largest creative precinct, where heritage school buildings have been transformed into studios, galleries and spaces for artists and cultural organisations.
Highlights of the Open House Melbourne 2026 Program
Donkey Wheel House: A Renaissance (25–26 Jul 2026). Tour the revitalised heritage building and learn how adaptive reuse has transformed it into a vibrant hub for innovation, collaboration and social enterprise.
Footscray Market (25 Jul 2026). Experience one of Melbourne’s most diverse marketplaces through guided tours celebrating its multicultural food culture, architecture and community importance.
Hawthorn Tram Depot (25–26 Jul 2026). Step inside this historic tram depot to explore beautifully preserved vintage trams and learn about Melbourne’s public transport heritage.
Jewish Museum of Australia (24 & 26 Jul 2026). Discover exhibitions, architecture and stories celebrating Jewish life, culture and history through special tours and behind-the-scenes experiences.
Victorian Pride Centre (24–25 Jul 2026). Visit Australia’s first purpose-built LGBTQIA+ community hub and discover its inclusive design, architecture and important community role.
Artbank: Behind the Scenes (24–25 Jul 2026). Step inside Artbank’s collection store for exclusive access to thousands of contemporary Australian artworks and learn how the national collection is acquired, preserved and managed.
623 Collins (25 Jul 2026). Explore the vision for one of Melbourne’s most significant heritage redevelopment projects, where the historic 1924 State Savings Bank and Batman’s Hill Hotel are being transformed into a striking 42-storey mixed-use tower.
Comments from Liz
If you have never participated in this annual weekend, pop it in your diary for next year. There are so many options of interest to visit in a program based upon Architecture and how our lives are entwined with it in ways we don’t think normally think about.
It is held on the last Friday and weekend of July annually, but as a lot of the options now require booking in advance (for a nominal booking fee only), it’s worth signing up to the email list to be ready for ticket releases. Many options are available as free access without booking though.
As an example, over the two days I visited private architecturally designed homes, corporate buildings, architects offices, a graffiti artists’ cooperative, historical buildings now repurposed, an old brewery, and a tram depot where we got to see spare parts, maintenance and even to sit in the driver’s seat of a variety of our current trams and ding the bells!
Believe it or not all of these places have architectural significance in common, but if you aren’t interested in that there is still plenty of stickybeaking or fun to be had.
With good planning a lot of these places can be accessed easily by public transport (free on a weekend with a Seniors Myki of course) with abit of walking in between.
Planning your Open House outing
A few practical things worth thinking through before the weekend:
- Wear comfortable shoes. Many buildings involve stairs, and self-guided routes between sites can add up to a fair bit of walking.
- Check accessibility before you go. Access varies a lot between buildings, especially heritage sites. Open House has launched a new interactive Access Map this year, developed with accessibility experts, which makes it much easier to find mobility-friendly and neurodiverse-considerate sites and plan your day with confidence.
- Use the curated itineraries if planning feels like a lot. Open House has put together itineraries across seven precincts, plus dedicated Family Fun and Heritage Highlight routes—handy if you’d rather follow a ready-made plan than build your own from scratch.
- Pick a manageable number of buildings. It’s tempting to plan a marathon day, but two or three considered visits, with time for a coffee break in between, usually makes for a better day than rushing between six.
- Take public transport where you can. Many of the most popular CBD buildings are an easy walk from Flinders Street or Southern Cross stations, and trams cover most of the inner city well. Parking in the CBD on event weekends can be tight and pricey, and some delays to public transport are possible over the Weekend itself, so it’s worth checking PTV’s journey planner before you head out.
- Download or collect a map. Self-guided tour maps are usually available at the Info Hub and online as printable PDFs once the program launches.
Open House Melbourne Info Hub
During the Weekend, Open House Melbourne runs an Info Hub in front of Melbourne Town Hall, staffed by friendly volunteers who can help with directions, answer questions, and hand out self-guided tour maps while stocks last.
Embracing the City’s Stories
Open House Melbourne is a chance to see the city through a different lens, whether you’re an architecture enthusiast, a local history buff, or just someone who likes a good look behind a door marked “private”. With the full Generous City program due any day now, it’s worth putting the dates in your diary and planning your weekend around it.
For more information, visit the official Open House Melbourne website.
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