Each spring, Doors Open Toronto invites the public to step inside the city’s rare and unique buildings, and this year, it returns with a global focus and more sites than ever.
Under the theme “The World in a City,” Doors Open Toronto returns May 23 to 24 with more than 160 buildings, sites, and experiences for the public to explore. Many of these sites are not open to the general public or charge admission year-round. This free citywide event offers a rare chance to explore Toronto’s architectural, cultural, and community spaces from the inside out.
“The World in a City” arrives at a historic moment for Toronto, as the city excitedly prepares to welcome visitors from across the globe for the FIFA World Cup 2026.
From museums and heritage properties to design studios, theatres, offices, and places of worship, Doors Open Toronto highlights how the city’s vast diversity is expressed in the places Torontonians live, work, gather, and celebrate.
Participants can build their weekend around a wide range of experiences, whether planning their own site visits, joining guided neighbourhood tours or enjoying curated programming.
Visitors will have the chance to go behind the scenes of iconic landmarks such as the R.C. Harris Water Treatment Plant, the historic Don Jail, and Osgoode Hall, alongside first-time sites like Anishnawbe Health Toronto, The Corleck and heritage building 25 Ookwemin Street.
Beyond open buildings, the program includes neighbourhood tours, insightful talks, and interactive activities that bring the city’s stories to life. At Toronto City Hall, visitors can enjoy family-friendly programming such as live music, craft activities with the Toronto Public Library, and access to unique spaces like the 27th-floor observation deck, green roof, and the Mayor’s Office. Plus, enjoy screenings from some of Toronto’s leading film festivals, including the Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival, Inside Out, Regent Park Film Festival, the Reelworld Screen Institute, the Toronto Palestine Film Festival, and the Toronto Japanese Film Festival.
And across the city, guided tours will explore local food scenes, public parks, evolving neighbourhoods, cultural corridors and more.
A special keynote panel, “Toronto on Top: A City Landmark 50 years in the Making,” commemorates the semicentennial celebration of the CN Tower and explores what it means to be monumental in 2026.
Let your curiosity guide you! Whether it’s discovering a new neighbourhood, wandering inside a long-admired building, or learning about the communities that shape the beautiful city, Doors Open gives visitors a deeper look into the places, spaces and stories that define Toronto’s past, present and future.
To browse Doors Open Toronto sites and register for talks and tours, check out its website.
