Open House Melbourne unveils packed 2025 program, with almost 200 buildings and events open to public
Open House Melbourne unveils packed 2025 program, with almost 200 buildings and events open to public
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Nearing its 20th year, the public event invites Melburnians inside some of the city’s most arresting – and mysterious – landmarks.
Open House Melbourne, the city’s annual weekend of talks, tours and events, has been a staple of the Naarm cultural calendar since 2008. This year’s proceedings, taking place across the weekend of 26 and 27 July, promise to be one of the busiest lineups in the event’s history.
The theme this year is ‘Stories of the City’, emphasising the role of Melbourne’s buildings as more than just bricks and mortar to keep the rain and cold out. Every street and doorway has its own unique tale to tell, and this year will be all about making new discoveries for locals as well as newcomers.
Giving citizens access to some of Melbourne’s best-loved and most mysterious landmarks, Open House remains at its core an invitation to experience how well-designed architecture can recognisably improve the lives of those who use it.
No Rezzavations House in Reservoir
With the inception of Open House Worldwide in 2010, the not-for-profit has expanded to incorporate more than 60 cities across five separate continents. With a global reach of 750,000 people every year, it embodies the largest audience of any publicly accessible architecture program in the world.
A year of firsts
The 2025 program of Open House Melbourne welcomes a swathe of notable firsts. Among the standouts are special public previews of the civic architecture projects shaping the city’s future, including the new scenic Veloway cycle path along the West Gate Tunnel Project and the new EcoCentre in Port Phillip.
Further projects will be announced closer to the event itself in late July. Some of the more enticing and unusual fixtures of Open House this winter include a First Nations kayak tour down the Yarra River, behind-the-scenes tours of Naarm’s most groundbreaking arts studios, and a close look at the new 21-hectare elephant enclosure at the Werribee Open Range Zoo.
The elephants within the Werribee Open Range Zoo
As the largest celebration of architecture and built environments in the Australia-New Zealand region, this year’s Open House Melbourne is anticipated to see 65,000 in attendance. The most sought-after highlights of the lineup, while largely free, may in some instances require a small $7 fee.
There is also a strong emphasis on accessibility, with 96 of the total 188 events and building tours being wheelchair accessible.
A grand opening in good company
The announcement of the 2025 program took place last night at 1 Globe Alley, in the studio of Melbourne-born bagmaker Crumpler. With many of Crumpler’s handmade wares on display, as well as canapes and bubbles to aid the buzz of enthusiastic chatter throughout the room, the reveal of this year’s event lineup was attended by Victoria Minister for Creative Industries Colin Brooks and Open House Melbourne executive director and chief curator Tania Davidge.
Crumbler’s inner-city Melbourne studio
Speaking to Australian Design Review, Davidge underlined a core pillar of the 2025 program as the recognition of First Nations teachings within architecture and design practice.
She cited the many ways in which attendees can engage with First Nations culture throughout Open House: “This year, we open the weekend with our annual Designing with Country conversation, featuring Agency Projects’ Leila Gurruwiwi; Blaklash’s Owen Cafe; and RMIT’s Yulendj Weelam Lab, exploring the idea of Country and what it means for design.”
Davidge also highlighted the organisation’s Modern Melbourne documentary series, profiling some of the leading lights of Australian design, which this year explores the work and impact of Melbourne-based architect Gregory Burgess.
Melbourne Place hotel will also be open for exploration this year
“His iconic work on the Brambuk and Uluru cultural centres reflects deep engagement with Indigenous place and narrative,” Davidge says. Other highlights [of the 2025 program] include the Heritage Coexistence discussion, which brings together European and Indigenous perspectives on architectural and cultural heritage, and the Blak Dot Gallery at the newly completed Balam Balam Place.”
Another key event that Davidge encourages attendees to see across the Open House Weekend is the Potter Museum of Art’s landmark exhibition 65,000 Years: A Short History of Australian Art.
Also open across the weekend are the Koorie Heritage Trust as well as, Davidge says, “a guided Yalinguth walking tour; Indigenous words and design elements at Whitten Oval; a Weaving Workshop with artist Trina Dalton-Oogjes at the Queen Victoria Women’s Centre; and a Walk on Country at Abbotsford Convent.”
Northcote House by LLDS Architects
The full program for Open House Melbourne 2025 is now available here.
Lead image of No Rezzavations House, by photographer Tom Ross. All images supplied by Open House Melbourne.
© Niche Media 2025