Gallery openings in New York, and how they work

An opening is the reception a gallery holds on the evening a new show begins. The artist is usually there, the gallery fills up, and people move from one opening to the next along the same few blocks.

When they happen

Most openings are on weekday evenings, from 6 to 8pm. Thursday is the busiest night, particularly in Chelsea, where many galleries open the same evening at the start of a season. Galleries in Chinatown and on the Lower East Side often open on Friday, Saturday or Sunday evenings instead.

The start of the season, in early September, brings the most openings of the year. Things are quiet from late July through August.

Who can go

Anyone. Openings at commercial galleries are free and open to the public, and you don't need an invitation. The occasional RSVP is for something extra, such as a talk or a dinner, and the gallery says so.

What to expect

It will be crowded, and it can be hard to see the work properly; many people come back on a quieter day. There is sometimes a drink. The artist and the gallery's staff are there to talk to people, so it is fine to say hello or ask a question.

Finding openings

Galleries announce openings on their websites, in email newsletters and on Instagram, usually a week or two ahead. Gallop collects them: see this week's New York openings, or follow the galleries you like in the app.