Doors Open Barrie showcases the history and architecture of our city and celebrates some of the places that make our city special. Each year, communities across Ontario dedicate a day for local sites of interest to be opened to the public for free tours. Doors Open Barrie will take place on Saturday, September 26, 2026.
Doors Open is hosted by the City of Barrie in partnership with the City’s Heritage Committee and the Ontario Heritage Trust.
Want to Open your Door?
Applications from sites wanting to participate in Doors Open Barrie are being accepted until Monday, July 6, 2026.
Why Participate and What’s Involved
This is an opportunity to promote and celebrate your facility or business. The event helps bring our community together and promotes some of the places that make Barrie unique. Barrie is a beautiful community with rich culture and heritage, and this event helps showcase some of what we have to offer.
Participating locations are asked to have their “doors open” from 10am to 4pm on event day and have staff or volunteers on hand to welcome the public into your location. How you welcome the public in is up to you, but we encourage you to make the experience interesting, interactive or creative. Think about tours, photo displays, informational brochures, free giveaways, etc. You can do as much or as little as you want as long as you enthusiastically open your doors to the public.
This year, we can pair Doors Open sites with Culture Days activities that will be funded by the City. If you are interested in hosting an activity that will be fully run by a local artist or arts organization, please check off the appropriate spot in the Doors Open Barrie site participation form.
How to Register
If you are interested in joining us as a site for Doors Open Barrie, please complete the site participation form. The deadline to register as a participant is Monday, July 6, 2026. This ensures you are included in the advertising campaign.
Additional information about the Doors Open Ontario program can be found in the site participation guide and at doorsopenontario.on.ca.
About Doors Open
Doors Open is an Ontario Heritage Trust program that invites communities across the province to open the doors, gates and courtyards of their unique and most fascinating cultural sites so residents and visitors can see inside! It’s a chance to explore Ontario’s heritage treasures at free public events across the province.
The program was launched in 2002 to create access, awareness and excitement about the province’s heritage and it provides unique opportunities to explore and enjoy some of the most interesting places in Ontario cities, towns and villages.