Aurora’s heritage stories set to come to life at Doors Open 2026

September 3, 2026 · 0 Comments

Aurora’s historic secrets are set to come into the limelight this month as the Town once again hosts Doors Open.

Doors Open Aurora, a long-time fixture on the local calendar that is back for just the second consecutive year since the global pandemic, will take place throughout the community on Sunday, September 20, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

It’s a chance to get a peek inside historic buildings and locations not normally open to the public, experience unique activities, and learn more about local built heritage.

Michelle Johnson of the Aurora Museum and Archives, who is taking a leading role in planning this year’s Doors Open event, said last year’s return to form saw just under 3,000 visitations across all participating sites.

“We were quite thrilled,” says Johnson of the turnout. “Obviously the decision was made last fall to continue on with Doors Open and we’re excited to welcome back the same number of sites, but what’s really interesting about the sites participating is that it’s more than an open door where you walk in and look around. Almost every location has really creative activations happening at the same time.”

The Aurora Cultural Centre, for instance, will host a number of workshops out of the Shining Hill Studio within the Aurora Town Square complex, giving participants the chance to explore the visual arts space.

Nearby, Aurora’s Pine Tree Potters Guild will offer live demonstrations, making soup vessels for this fall’s annual Empty Bowls fundraiser, benefiting Aurora’s Welcoming Arms and Newmarket’s Inn from the Cold.

In the outdoor space at Aurora Town Square, Central York Fire Services will be on hand in their finery, offering a chance to get up close and personal with their 1926 Fire Truck, a regular feature in local parades, which is marking its Centenary this year. Come camera-ready for a unique photo opportunity.

Beyond Aurora Town Square, a drum circle will be offered in the Royal Rose Gallery, which calls the historic Caruso’s space on Yonge Street home, while the Micak Contemporary Art Gallery in St. Andrew’s Village, will host a live painting activity.

Helping residents discover some of the Town’s historic treasures will be historian David Heard, who will lead a new walking tour through the community entitled “Aurora Storyteller: Walking through the Past.”

Activations will also take place at the Aurora Cemetery, where the Royal Canadian Legion will host its annual drumhead service at 2 p.m.

“Doors Open goes as far south as the Aurora Cemetery and as far north as St. Anne’s School, which is also coming back to participate again – they were a huge hit last year, it’s a beautiful place, and we’re thrilled to have them back for a second year,” says Johnson, adding other participating locations include Hillary House National Historic Site, Saltbox Café, St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, Trinity Anglican Church, and Rising Sun Masonic Lodge.

Asked what it means from a museum perspective to have the entire community as a canvas to program, she says it’s “the kind of thing you wish for.”

“As a museum, we will be doing an activation at Town Square in front of the historic Church Street School,” she says. “We’ll be out there answering people’s questions about the school and we’ll have the red doors open. For anyone who is feeling nostalgic and might want to venture through those original iconic doors, come visit us on the front lawn. We’re happy to answer questions. Right now, we’re doing a lot of community outreach for our strategic plan that is going from 2027 to 2031. We will have some community engagement activities set up on the lawn as well to get the temperature of the public and ask some questions. A big part of our vision and how we have been operating the museum is seeing opportunities beyond one building and looking for those points of connection throughout the whole community. Doors Open is a fabulous opportunity to really embody that and to [be able to] take that premise at the helm and encourage people to explore all of Aurora and learn a little bit about the history that’s there.”

For more information about Doors Open, visit auroratownsquare.ca/monthofculture. For a full roster of Doors Open Aurora locations and activities, visit doorsopenontario.on.ca/pages/events/aurora.

By Brock Weir
Editor
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter