The established architectural event OPEN HOUSE Thessaloniki returns from 14 to 22 November 2026. What began as a two-day event has grown into an opportunity for the public to step inside dozens of buildings, inviting Thessaloniki’s residents and visitors to discover the city through its architecture on 21–22 November. As every year, the weekend of architectural tours is complemented by a programme of parallel events and guided visits, which begin on 14 November.
The event’s major sponsor is Chrysi Efkairia, which for 33 years has been helping people find their place in the city, whether a home or a job. The company continues to invest in Thessaloniki through cultural experiences that matter to its people.
OPEN HOUSE Thessaloniki is one of Greece’s leading architectural events, dedicated to promoting a deeper appreciation and understanding of architecture and the built environment. During the event, public and private spaces – from historic and contemporary buildings to homes, offices, hotels, cultural venues and creative spaces – open their doors to the public, offering free architectural tours led by the event’s extensive team of volunteers.
Thessaloniki is a city in constant transformation. With a history spanning more than 2,300 years, its urban fabric brings together monuments from different eras, newer buildings, post-war apartment blocks and contemporary architectural creations. It is a living landscape shaped by successive changes and reinterpretations. Today, urban regeneration projects, infrastructure developments, restorations and the adaptive reuse of existing buildings, alongside new approaches to living, working and making use of public space, are gradually reshaping the city’s image.
OPEN HOUSE Thessaloniki 2026 is held under the auspices and with the funding of the Ministry of Culture and Sports, and with the support of the Municipality of Thessaloniki.
This year’s theme, “THE EMERGING CITY”, turns its focus to Thessaloniki in the making, exploring what is newly emerging, evolving and reshaping its urban landscape.
At its heart are a new generation of architects, recently completed projects and innovative approaches to the adaptive reuse of existing buildings. Through the dialogue between the new and the existing, the event highlights how a city with a multilayered history continues to evolve, preserving its identity while responding to contemporary needs.
It is an open invitation to the public to discover Thessaloniki through the small and large-scale interventions shaping its present and future. With the support of STONE GROUP, sponsor of this year’s theme, the following initiatives are planned:
Emerging City Category: Selected buildings featured in the programme will be specially identified and highlighted for the way they reflect the city’s contemporary character. Adaptive reuse projects and new architectural developments will offer visitors the opportunity to explore different design approaches and discover the possibilities they create for the urban environment.
Tours of Emerging Architecture Studios (OPEN OFFICE): Visits to the workplaces of young architectural practices distinguished by their contemporary and dynamic approach. The initiative brings the public into direct contact with the architects and their profession, offering insight into the design process, from the initial concept to its realisation.
As part of OPEN HOUSE Thessaloniki 2026, a series of parallel events is also planned, beginning on Saturday 14 November:
MADE in Thessaloniki | 14–19 November 2026
Now an established feature of OPEN HOUSE Thessaloniki, this parallel event invites the public to discover the world of production and creativity first-hand. Through visits to workshops and factories, visitors can follow the journey from an initial idea to a finished product, while exploring the contemporary and traditional techniques involved at every stage of the production process.
This year’s programme includes:
14–15 November: Guided tours of workshops and creative studios.
16 November: Guided tours of STONE GROUP’s facilities.
18 November: Guided tours of factories in the Sindos Industrial Area, in collaboration with ETBA Business & Industrial Parks, offering visitors the opportunity to discover Greece’s largest industrial zone first-hand.
19 November: A guided tour of the KEVE Northern Greece Brickworks factory.
Free bus transfers from Thessaloniki to the factories will be provided by OPEN HOUSE. Places are limited and advance registration is required.
All tours are free of charge and do not require booking. Advance registration is only necessary for those wishing to use the bus service.
OPEN WALKs | 14–15 November
How many stories lie behind the buildings and places we pass every day? The themed routes organised by OPEN HOUSE Thessaloniki invite us to look at the city from a different perspective, through guided walking tours with stops at sites of particular architectural and historical interest.
Thessaloniki Port | 14–15 November
Tours will take place on both days, from 11:00 to 15:00, departing every 30 minutes.
From the old warehouses and piers to the port facilities, visitors will discover a place that has shaped Thessaloniki’s economy, history and identity. The route explores the port’s industrial and architectural heritage, revealing a side of the city that extends beyond its familiar waterfront. Organised in collaboration with the Thessaloniki Port Authority (THPA).
Agia Kyriaki Workers’ Housing | 14–15 November
Tours will take place on both days, at 13:00 and 14:00.
A rare opportunity to discover the Agia Kyriaki Workers’ Housing estate (1957–58), a little-known work by Aris Konstantinidis in Thessaloniki and an important example of post-war modernism. The tour explores both its architecture and everyday life, tracing the qualities of an alternative approach to housing that remain visible within today’s densely built urban fabric. Organised in collaboration with ESDIAPOK, MONUMENTA, mnene studio and Heritagent.
OPEN OFFICE | 19 & 20 November
Sponsored by THE SOURCE by Marmouris, OPEN OFFICE, part of OPEN HOUSE Thessaloniki 2026, opens the doors of architectural practices across the city, inviting the public to meet the people behind the projects.
Architects welcome visitors into their studios, presenting their design philosophy and discussing their work and the contemporary challenges facing the city.
In keeping with this year’s theme, “Emerging City”, the programme also features newly established architectural practices, offering visitors an insight into a new generation of creatives and their approaches to contemporary design.
The participating architectural practices are:
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RFORM.SPACE
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1525 Architecture Studio
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Louizi+Louizis Architects
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How Architects
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Makridis Associates
OPEN SCHOOL | 16 & 20 November
OPEN SCHOOL, the established educational programme of OPEN HOUSE Thessaloniki, sponsored by Arrena Natural Mineral Water, invites children and young people to discover architecture through first-hand experiences of space. This year’s programme includes visits to creative and production spaces on 16 November, as well as to buildings participating in the event on 20 November. The visits are designed for organised educational groups and take place by prior arrangement.
Once again, dozens of primary and secondary schools, as well as vocational training institutes (IEK), are taking part, giving pupils and students the opportunity to explore the built environment beyond the classroom. Through experiential learning, the programme encourages observation and a deeper understanding of how architecture shapes our everyday lives.
This year, the response extends beyond Thessaloniki, with schools from Pieria and Florina also taking part, further broadening the reach of the initiative.
OPEN TOURS | 21–22 November
OPEN TOURS, the flagship event of OPEN HOUSE Thessaloniki, opens the doors of 75 buildings this year, inviting the public to discover the city through its spaces. Guided by the event’s volunteers, visitors can explore the architecture, history and details that make each building unique. This year’s Volunteer Sponsors are the Gallileo Gallilei Foreign Language Institute and KEVE Northern Greece Brickworks, supporting the team of 500 volunteers.
This year’s theme, THE EMERGING CITY, turns its attention to Thessaloniki as it evolves, highlighting recently completed projects and the creative adaptive reuse of existing buildings. Through a dialogue between the new and the existing, visitors discover interventions shaping the city’s present and future. Buildings included in the theme are marked with an asterisk (*) in the programme.
All guided tours are free of charge, with no booking required, and take place at regular intervals. Visitors may explore their chosen buildings during the published opening hours, with entry on a first-come, first-served basis and queues forming on site.
An electronic visitor pass, issued via the relevant QR code from 16 November 2026, is required for entry. The pass facilitates visitor registration; it does not constitute a booking or provide priority access. Last admission to each building is 20 minutes before its closing time.
The OPEN HOUSE Thessaloniki 2026 programme is complemented by the event’s established competitions, inviting visitors to capture their experiences, share their routes and celebrate their favourite guided tour. The competitions will run from 21 to 29 November.
The OPEN PHOTO competition, sponsored by Chrysi Efkairia, invites visitors to explore the relationship between light and architecture through the theme “Golden Hour: Light as Architecture”. To enter, participants should post photographs taken during OHT 2026 on Instagram using the hashtag #XrysiEfkairia_oht2026, and follow @xe_gr, @fujifilmhellas and @openhousethessaloniki. Three Fujifilm cameras are up for grabs.
The OPEN YOUR MAP competition, sponsored by KLEEMANN, turns the event map into a source of creative inspiration. Visitors are invited to photograph their OHT 2026 map in an imaginative way, featuring the stamps collected from the buildings they have visited, and share their images on Instagram, tagging @openhousethessaloniki and following @kleemannlifts, @fujifilmhellas and @openhousethessaloniki. The prize is a Fujifilm camera. Both photography competitions require participants to have a public Instagram profile, and there is no limit to the number of entries per person.
Through OPEN VOTE, the public gets to award its own prize to the event’s favourite guided tour. Visitors can cast their vote at openhousethessaloniki.gr/vote, with one vote permitted per person. One lucky voter will be selected in a draw to win a Fujifilm camera.
OPEN BOX, the OPEN HOUSE Thessaloniki Info Point, will be open from 19 to 22 November at the glass pavilion at the junction of Aristotelous and Mitropoleos streets. Visitors can find information about the event and pick up the printed programme, complete with a map insert, as well as official merchandise, including bags, notebooks, posters, key rings, pendants and postcards.
On Sunday 22 November, at 21:30, the TIME TO CLOSE PARTY invites everyone to celebrate the end of the event at Dentro sto Bar (25 Vasileos Georgiou Street), with a DJ set by Chris Stam. Admission is free.
The visual identity of OPEN HOUSE Athens & Thessaloniki 2026 was developed through the Design the Poster competition, organised in collaboration with Vakalo Art & Design College, to create the printed material and volunteer T-shirts for both events. This year’s winner was Marios Alexandros Poulimenos.
The competition returns for 2027, inviting students and graduates from all fields of design to create a new, shared visual identity for the events. The winning design will feature on the official posters and volunteer T-shirts, while its creator will receive a full scholarship for a one-year programme at Vakalo Art & Design College. Entries must be submitted by 7 December 2026 to openhouseathens@gmail.com.
