2021—a year unlike any other!

On October 16-17, Open House New York Weekend offered New Yorkers and visitors nearly 200 ways—both virtually and in-person—to explore and experience the city. It was two days full of tours, talks, and self-guided walks across the five boroughs, and, for the first time, New Jersey!

Specially curated series included Radical Knowledge, Neighborhood Anchors, OHNY@Night, Health of the City, and a celebration of the Centennial for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey among others.

193 Experiences: 138 in-person + 55 virtual

Thanks to nearly 150 Partners, OHNY Weekend offered a range of experiences fostering discovery and recovery:

“We were so delighted with the smoothness of our Perine House tours that we are inspired to open the property up to the public more.”

Luke Boyd, Billiou-Stillwell-Perine House, the oldest standing building on Staten Island

Weekend Participation by the Numbers

In years past, approximately 80,000 New Yorkers and visitors joined OHNY Weekend annually. This year, we piloted a new approach—using QR codes—to track participation. This enabled us to identify the number of unique “check-ins” across the city, and also provided a means to conduct conduct tracing, which thankfully, was not necessary.

Close to 10,000 Weekend Participants checked in through the QR codes and we asked them to share their stories and experiences this year. Nearly 200 respondents to our survey, providing a snapshot of who attended OHNY Weekend, where they came from, what was memorable this year, and more. (Please note the below numbers are specific to the 200 survey respondents.)

While 83% of participants this year were returning Open House New Yorkers, 17% experienced their first OHNY Weekend!

An impressive 16% have been avid Open House New Yorkers for over 10 years, while just over a third have attended OHNY Weekend between 5 and 10 years.

Of those who joined an in-person experience, 70% participated in more than one.

“We had a tour with the director of the Tenement Museum and it was amazing! She is so engaging, energetic and friendly, I specifically liked when she asked thought-provoking questions about the experience of Black New Yorkers versus Irish or German in that time period…OHNY is one of the best kept secrets of New York. It is very special to have all of this access one-weekend long.”

Weekend Participant for 2-4 years

“I moved to NYC a few months ago and it’s been exceptionally difficult to meet people due to the pandemic… I made friends with a volunteer my age. We are planning on getting together soon! Thanks for making me feel more connected with my new home and introducing me to my first new friend in the city.”

1st time Weekend Participant