Open House Dublin opens 10 October with more than 200 free events
The nine-day architecture festival will offer building tours, community conversations and activities across Dublin city and county. Many events require advance booking.
Open House Dublin begins on Saturday, 10 October 2026, across Dublin city and county, with more than 200 free events giving visitors access to buildings and places they may rarely see. The nine-day architecture festival runs until 18 October, but the Irish Architecture Foundation says many events require advance booking, so visitors should check individual listings before travelling.
This year’s theme, ‘Dublin Is Living’, puts the people and communities who shape the city alongside its architecture. The foundation’s programme includes tours, talks, workshops, exhibitions and public events. RTÉ reported on Friday that venues opening to festival visitors include a waste-to-energy plant in Ringsend, while other visits offer a look behind the scenes at a cathedral bell tower and television studios.
Which Dublin buildings can visitors tour?
The foundation names Freemasons Hall, Busáras, Trinity College Dublin’s Museum building and the GPO among returning tour locations. New additions include the Polaris Building at DCU and TU Dublin’s Academic Hub and Library in Grangegorman. Together, the listings cover established landmarks and newer buildings, giving visitors several ways to explore the city’s built environment during the festival.
One tour offers a look at the National Velodrome and Badminton Centre while it is still being developed. The foundation says the project is due to be completed in 2028. Its programme also includes social housing and public realm developments in each of Dublin’s four local authority areas, extending the festival beyond familiar central landmarks.
RTÉ reported that Dublin Waste to Energy in Ringsend will take visitors into its control room, where they can see equipment moving waste before it is incinerated and converted into energy. The plant’s managing director, Kieran Mullins, told RTÉ that it produces enough electricity for about 140,000 homes each year. That output figure is his account; the report does not present an independent assessment of it.
At Christ Church Cathedral, a special bell-tower tour will allow festival visitors to ring the bells, according to RTÉ and the foundation. Tour guide Kelly Tavolassi told RTÉ that the tower is not normally opened to everyone and that bell ringing takes extensive practice. RTÉ also reported a backstage tour of its Donnybrook studios; the foundation lists studio tours as part of the programme marking 100 years of the national broadcaster.
What else is in the Open House Dublin programme?
The foundation says it will host Open Table conversations for the first time in each of Dublin’s four local authority areas. Those discussions are intended to feed into a wider ‘Dublin is Living’ town hall at Dublin City Council’s Wood Quay venue. The strand invites residents and people working in fields including architecture, housing, retail and health to discuss what it means to live in the city.
A temporary public venue at 114–116 Capel Street will serve as the festival’s information hub throughout 10–18 October. The foundation says the space will also host exhibitions, films, workshops and conversations, and provide a meeting point for visitors and volunteers. It offers a place to orient a visit to a programme spread across the city and county.
The programme also lists Irish Sign Language tours, sensory and tactile tours, a ‘Day in Our Wheels’ with Spinal Injuries Ireland and a tactile workshop. For families, Open House Junior begins on 10 and 11 October, with activities including neighbourhood-themed LEGO workshops, guided walks and a creative lab for teenagers at Coolock library. Specific access arrangements should be checked against the listing for each event.
Are Open House Dublin events free, and is booking needed?
The foundation describes all festival events as free but says many need advance booking. Its programme was released on 16 September and bookings opened on 23 September. Those dates do not establish whether places remain on any particular tour: visitors need to consult the current event listing for availability, times and entry details. The festival programme is available through the Irish Architecture Foundation’s Open House Dublin page.
RTÉ identifies this as the festival’s 21st year. Director Emmet Scanlon told the broadcaster that people are curious about the stories behind Dublin’s buildings and about how decisions shaping the city are made. The programme’s tours and public conversations reflect that focus, but attendance and the outcomes of the planned discussions will only be known after the events take place.
Sources and context
- Open House Dublin festival to open at weekendRTÉ News
- Open House Dublin 2026Irish Architecture Foundation
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.
About NewsJaws Desk
AI-assisted reporting and explainers reviewed against the linked source documents. No claim of on-scene reporting or original interviews.