What Old Westbury Gardens Becomes After October 31

Old Westbury Gardens' regular season ends on Saturday, October 31. Until then, the gates at 71 Old Westbury Road open daily except Tuesdays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and anyone with a ticket can walk the grounds and Westbury House whenever it suits them. November and December work differently. The calendar shrinks to a short list of dated programs, most of them indoors in Westbury House and the Red Ballroom, and most with a start time, an end time, and a ticket tied to that hour.

For anyone who uses the Gardens as a neighborhood walk, the final week of October is the last time this year that a visit can be spontaneous. After that, a visit takes planning, and some programs sell a limited number of seats.

The Final Walk-In Days

The post goes up on Thursday, October 22. Counting that day, ten days of the regular season are left, and the Gardens has packed them.

Dog owners will want to plan around the Dog Days weekend in particular. On ordinary days, the Gardens allows only ADA service animals, and other dogs can come only on designated Dog Weekends. October 24 and 25 is the last one on this season's calendar. On those days, leashed dogs can go anywhere in the gardens except the Walled Garden.

The parade on Sunday has prize categories for Best Overall, Prettiest, Most Handsome, Most Original, Best Person & Dog, and Funniest. Contestants sign up at the map stand by 2 p.m., an hour before the 3 p.m. start. Dog-related vendors are on site from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The parade comes with admission, but no entry tickets are sold at the gate, so you need to buy them online beforehand. Members and visitors with valid library passes don't need a reservation.

The Saturday night play reading is easy to miss among the seasonal events. Quite Contrary is a world-premiere staged reading of a play based on The Secret Garden, with a panel and refreshments afterward. It's supported by the Statewide Community Regrants Program, NYSCA, and the Huntington Arts Council. At $10, it costs less than a regular adult admission and puts a new play inside a house built for an older era.

Halloween at Westbury House on October 30 starts at 6:30 p.m. The ticket page describes food, seasonal festivities, and a costume contest. The Gardens' event page and the ticketing page list different end times, so check the ticket before planning a ride home.

The Ticket Rule That Expires With the Season

The last week of October also brings a deadline. All ticket sales are final, but the Gardens will honor an unscanned ticket on another general admission date "until the end of our operating season." If you have an unused ticket from a rained-out weekend this summer or a plan that fell through, the regular season ends October 31.

Watch the clock on those last days, too. Non-members must enter the gardens by 4 p.m., and members by 5 p.m. Final entry to Westbury House is 5 p.m., and the house closes at 5:30 p.m. on weekdays and 5:15 p.m. on weekends. The grounds close at 6, but a non-member arriving at 4:15 on a late-October Saturday won't get in.

General admission is $22 for adults, $20 for visitors 62 and older and full-time students with ID, $12 for ages 7 to 17, and free for children 6 and under and for members. Everyone except members and library pass holders has to buy tickets in advance online.

Then the House Takes Over

When the Gardens announced its 2026 season in March, the Long Island Press reported that the regular season would run through October 31, "with additional select weekend openings planned for November and December." The dated programs posted so far show what that looks like.

1. Saturday, Nov. 7: Autumn Serenade: An Evening of Piano and Song. 4 to 6 p.m., gates open at 3 p.m. General admission is $50, with 20% off for members. Pianist Philip Edward Fisher performs.
2. Saturday, Dec. 5: Embroidery Class. 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Barn at Orchard Hill, ages 12 and up, $30 per participant with 20% off for members.
3. Sunday, Dec. 6: Holiday Caroling with The Long Island High School for the Arts. 11 a.m. to noon in the Red Ballroom. Included with admission; seating is limited.
4. Wednesday, Dec. 9: Pajama Storytime. 7 to 8 p.m. at Westbury House. Preregistration required; $12 per child, $22 per adult, $20 for adults 62 and older, with 20% off for members.
5. Saturday, Dec. 12: Children's Christmas Party. 6 to 8 p.m. at Westbury House, with a house tour, scavenger hunt, crafts, Santa, cookies, and cider. $24 per child and $26 per adult, with 20% off for members. The ticketing page calls it the Children's Holiday Party.
6. Sunday, Dec. 13: The Long Island Flute Club Holiday Flute Choir Concert. 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. in the Red Ballroom, directed by Gardens docent Lauren Osnato. Included with admission.
7. Saturday, Dec. 19: Girl Scouts Chorus of Nassau County Concert. 1 to 2 p.m. in the Red Ballroom, led by musical director Catherine Azzara. Included with admission.

The list shows a clear pattern. Every program except Pajama Storytime falls on a Saturday or Sunday, which fits the "select weekend openings" the Gardens announced in the spring. The three concerts listed as included with admission are short daytime performances in the Red Ballroom. The other four programs carry their own prices and set hours, and Pajama Storytime and the Children's Christmas Party are evening events in Westbury House. In October, you pick the day. In December, the Gardens sets the date and the hour.

Families with young children will find two December evenings built for them. The other programs are more of a mix. A school choir, a community flute ensemble led by one of the Gardens' own docents, and a Nassau County Girl Scouts chorus give December a homegrown feel. All three concerts in the Red Ballroom come with regular admission.

Book Early, Then Check Back

Two things are still missing from the posted calendar. The Gardens hasn't published general hours or admission for its November and December weekends, so the regular schedule above applies only through October 31. Dates for this year's Christmas at Westbury House haven't been posted either, and the Gardens' page for it still lists last December's season. Wait for the 2026 listing before you pencil in a date.

Book the seven dated programs now. The ones with limited seating and required preregistration, like the December 6 caroling and Pajama Storytime, are the ones most likely to fill.

At Limor Karudo & Elimore Kochavi, we keep track of the small changes in each season that shape everyday life across the North Shore, from Old Westbury Gardens' last dog weekend to the December concerts in the Red Ballroom. If you'd like a hand planning a season here, or just want to talk about the neighborhood, reach out.