London Open House Festival 2022: explore homes and famous buildings

London’s Open House Festival is a city-wide celebration of the people and places that make London special.

The event offers unrivalled access to buildings and landmarks that are usually off-limits, from iconic skyscrapers to spectacular private homes of all shapes and sizes.

For two weeks in September, there will be hundreds of free events taking place in all of London’s 33 boroughs.

Many famous buildings have taken part in previous years, including Number 10 Downing Street, The Lloyds Building, Dawson’s Heights Housing Estate and Battersea Power Station.

This year, as the festival marks its 30th anniversary, we’re excited to announce that we’ll be stepping up to become the headline partner for the Open House Festival.

If you’re home-hunting, you’ll start your search on Rightmove as a way to explore new areas that you might want to live in. The Open House Festival is another great opportunity to explore neighbourhoods you’ve never been to, and visit new districts you’ve never heard of. The event opens up entire streets and estates, so you’ll be able to see how the communities in these places work together, giving you a real sense of what it would be like to live there.

You can also pick up lots of ideas for your own home renovation. Londoners who have transformed tiny terrace homes and revamped period properties will throw open their doors and give you a guided tour.

Around eight million people have taken part in the festival since it began, with over half saying that Open House helped them learn new things that changed the way they view the city.

Sarah Brown, Head of Brand at Rightmove said: “The Open House Festival has done an outstanding job of inspiring people to experience new areas of London. With everything from converted churches to modern houseboats listed on our site, we’re in a unique position to help increase awareness of the festival further, whilst also enabling people who may be considering moving in London to discover new parts of the city they could live in.

“We’ll be working with Open House Festival to encourage more people than ever from all backgrounds to get involved in the festival and showcase all the amazing and varied parts of this vibrant city,” she added.

Zoë Cave, chief curator of the Open House Festival, said the partnership will enable the festival to include more private homes across every corner of the city.

“You don’t have to live in an architecturally outstanding home to include it in Open House, everyone with a story to tell is welcome in the festival programme,” she said.

London’s Open House Festival: how you can get involved

This year’s festival aims to have the biggest and most diverse range of buildings and places taking part.

Any kind of home or building can feature in the programme, from rental homes, studio flats, and entire housing estates, to factories and faith spaces such as mosques and synagogues.

If you have a story to tell about your home, workplace, neighbourhood, or somewhere in London you find fascinating, then the festival is for you.

If it’s special and interesting to you, it will be to others too.

You can find out more about how you can contribute to this year’s festival here.

London’s Open House Festival 2022 runs for two weeks, from the 8th to the 21st of September.