FAQs

  • • Dates: Saturday, May 9 and Sunday, May 10, 2026

    • Hours: 10:00 am – 5:00 pm both days

    • Where: Dozens of participating venues within the City of Minneapolis boundaries

    • How much: Free of charge to venues and participants

    • Access: Priority access for sponsors and volunteers

  • Doors Open Minneapolis, produced by Rethos, is a two-day event taking place on May 9th and 10th, 2026. It is an “open house” event that takes place across dozens of venues in Minneapolis. It is FREE and invites participants to explore the city’s story through its buildings and meaningful spaces.

    It’s your ticket to a weekend of behind-the-scenes access to the most interesting places in Minneapolis.

  • Rethos is a non-profit charitable organization that supports historic preservation. Rethos has organized Doors Open Minneapolis since 2023. Rethos believes people are more likely to value the important places in their community when they can experience them firsthand. Doors Open gives participants fresh eyes to see their city — and new reasons to engage with it. 

    Rethos does a lot of other important things beyond Doors Open Minneapolis: We help revitalize downtowns with our Minnesota Main Streets program. Our education classes help professionals learn to care for old buildings and responsibly reuse old building materials. We advocate for historic tax credits and policies that protect and rehabilitate our historic buildings and offer historic rehab loans to encourage historic renovation throughout the country. 

    Learn more about what we do at Rethos.org.

  • City Stories is a new expansion of Doors Open Minneapolis. Beginning with the MSP home tour on May 2ndand 3rd and ending with Doors Open Minneapolis on May 9th and 10th, City Stories offers a nine day schedule of tours, talks, and other exciting events that allow you to explore fascinating places in the Twin Cities region and engage deeply with the stories behind them.

    Take a look at the City Stories website and check back for a schedule of events in the spring!

  • The list of venues will be decided in February, and will be available on our website soon afterwards. You can look at the list of 2025 Doors Open Venues on our webpage.

  • Follow Doors Open Minneapolis on:

    Facebook: Doors Open Minneapolis

    Instagram: @doorsopenmpls

    Use #dompls when sharing your Doors Open adventures on social media!

  • There are multiple ways to support Doors Open!

    • Volunteer – Doors Open is a huge production, and we can’t do it without our amazing volunteers! We are seeking the help of more than 500 volunteers during Doors Open weekend, May 9 and 10. Volunteers get a t-shirt and a VIP pass that lets them skip the lines at popular venues! Learn more and sign up here!

    • Donate – Doors Open is a free event operated by Rethos, a 501c3 charitable organization. This event is almost entirely sponsor- and crowd-funded. Every dollar helps us continue to provide this citywide event to the public! Learn more and donate here.

    • Attend – Get out and explore our city during Doors Open weekend!

  • Visit Venue Applications to learn more about participating in the event as a venue, and how to apply.

  • 1. Follow @doorsopenminneapolis on Instagram

    2. Attend Doors Open Minneapolis May 9 – 10

    3. Take an interior or exterior photo of a participating venue (No photos with people in them!)

    4. Post your photo to Instagram by midnight May 17 using the hashtag #dompls

  • The average person visits around 4 per day. But as far as we know, the record number of venues visited in one weekend is 22! Visit the number that feels right to you. Pay special attention to which venues are open which days – some venues are only open on Saturday or Sunday. Each venue states which days they are open on the website and in the guide.

    The spent at a venue depends a lot on you, but most people spend 20 – 30 minutes at a typical Doors Open venue. Some venue experiences will take longer. If they do, we try to note that under a venue’s description so that you can plan ahead.

  • Start anywhere! You can peruse our venue list and map to plan your route beforehand, or fly by the seat of your pants and pick a venue at random. There is no specific order you need to follow – it's your adventure!