Public Programs

Kids Crafts Workshop

Friends of the High Line develops many free and low-cost public programs, aiming to build a diverse, inclusive community around the High Line.

Our public programs seek to demonstrate Friends of the High Line's commitment to the public by creating new and innovative opportunities for all ages in a neighborhood under-served by open space. Programs will encourage public engagement with and stewardship of the High Line, and create innovative experiences that emphasize the distinctiveness of the High Line itself.

You can sign up now to become a member of Friends of the High Line, and receive first notice about our public programs and discounts on many of them. Visit our Membership page for more information.

View our Events Calendar, or sign up for our Email Newsletter to receive announcements about future events.

Design Programs

"[The High Line's design] creates a seamless blend of new and old, one rooted in the themes of decay and renewal that have long captivated the imagination of urban thinkers"

– Nicolai Ouroussoff, the New York Times, 2004.

Learn about the High Line's innovative design, created by landscape architects James Corner Field Operations and architects Diller Scofidio + Renfro. Talks, tours, family programs, and other events on the High Line enable members of the public to gain an in-depth understanding of the designers' work, through discussions with the designers themselves and Friends of the High Line staff.

A full listing of High Line Design Programs can be found on our Events Calendar.

To learn more about the design of the High Line, visit the Design section of our Web site.

Garden Programs

High Line Seed Harvest

The High Line's rich living environment serves as a fertile laboratory and teaching tool for those interested in horticulture and gardening. Talks, lectures, and family programs with Friends of the High Line horticultural staff, planting designer Piet Oudolf, and landscape architects James Corner Field Operations, will provide opportunities for members of the public to learn more about the High Line's Horticulture and Landscape Design.

A full listing of High Line garden programs can be found on our Events Calendar.

To learn more about the design of the High Line's landscape, visit the Planting Design section of our Web site.

Family Programs

Special events for families to enjoy together will make the High Line an especially exciting place to be. Bilingual story-telling and musical performances, puppet shows, treasure hunts, hands-on arts workshops, and more will provide children of all ages the opportunity to engage firsthand with High Line. Special topics will include the High Line's design and construction, the High Line’s industrial and rail history, the High Line’s plants, seeds, and the importance of green spaces in urban environments, art on the High Line, and more.

A full listing of family programs can be found on our Events Calendar.

We also work with schools on an ongoing basis as part of our High Line Schools Program.

Art Programs

The High Line's strong connection to the art world remains central to our public programs both on and off the High Line. Section 1 of the High Line features a large-scale public art exhibition, in cooperation with Creative Time, in the Chelsea Market Passage.

We regularly work with arts organizations such as the Kitchen, as well as gallerists, artists, and other art-world insiders on a series of art walks, classes, and lectures. We also feature hands-on art workshops for kids and families at events such as the Kitchen High Line Block Party. In the next year, we will be developing an Emerging Artist Program, working with young and early-career artists to create art and art programming on, around, and inspired by the High Line.

A full listing of arts programs can be found on our Events Calendar.

To learn more about public art programs on the High Line, visit the Public Art section of our Web site.

History Programs

When the High Line was built in the 1930s, it elevated freight rail tracks off the street to protect pedestrians. Its height also allowed it to uniquely interact with the many warehouses, storage facilities, and other industrial buildings. As industry started to decline in the 1960s, many of these buildings began to be used for commercial purposes, and they are now used for business offices, restaurants, and other uses.

The High Line neighborhood is rich in history, and the High Line itself links four historic districts. We offer talks and tours on the High Line, focused on industrial and architectural history of West Chelsea.

A full listing of history programs can be found on our Events Calendar.

To learn more about the history of the High Line, visit the History section of our Web site.

Open House New York

Our largest public program of the year is part of the annual, city-wide Open House New York weekend in early October, in which sites of architectural and historical interest around the city are opened to the public.

The founder of Open House New York was originally a Friends of the High Line volunteer, and the High Line has been one of the most successful and popular Open House New York sites since the annual weekend began in 2002.

Support
Public programming on the High Line is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Council and from the New York State Council on the Arts, celebrating 50 years of building strong, creative communities in New York State's 62 counties.