Online reservations for parking and shuttle tickets for the upcoming Washington D.C. Temple open house are underway.
The open house — marking the first public tour since the temple’s 1974 dedication — will highlight the iconic temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the grounds and the on-site visitors’ center.
Open house ticket information is available at dctemple.org, which also provides information on the Washington D.C. Temple itself, the purpose of temples, photo galleries and more.
Reservations began Wednesday, Jan. 5, at 10 a.m. EST, with more than 2,000 views on the website in the first few minutes alone, according to open house committee members.
Free to the public, the open-house tours of the iconic temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will run from April 28 through June 4, excluding Sundays, with the first daily tour beginning at 9 a.m. and the last tour each evening being admitted at 8 p.m.
Tour tickets are not necessary for access to the temple, but reservations are required for guests needing the limited on-site parking or a shuttle provided from a nearby metro transit station.
“We are encouraged by the intense interest from the general public for this important occasion,” said Washington D.C. Temple open house committee co-chair Kent Colton.
Added co-chair Kathryn Colton: “While we want to open the doors to everyone to come and see inside the temple, we encourage people to plan ahead and get their tickets as soon as possible. Our 33 days for a public open house will go very quickly.”
A ticket is not required for the open house for individuals arriving by foot, public transit, taxi, bike or ride-sharing, where parking or shuttle use is not needed. Guests are encouraged to take advantage of public transit options whenever possible.
Besides tickets for the on-site parking, online reservations can be made for a free-of-charge shuttle from the Forest Glen Metro Station to the temple grounds on weekday evenings and Saturdays.
Public tours last about 45 minutes and will include a self-guided walk throughout the remodeled interior of the temple. The tour includes scaling more than 150 stairs. Comfortable shoes are recommended, and wheelchair and ADA accessibility is available.
Appropriate COVID-19 protocols will be followed per public health recommendations and in cooperation with local authorities.
Event hosts will be available after the tour to address questions.
In February 2020, Church leaders announced an original Dec. 13, 2020, rededication of the Washington D.C. Temple, to be preceded by a lengthy open house and youth devotional. Several months later, Church leaders postponed all the rededication-related events due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
In a July 20, 2021, media event at the Washington D.C. Temple Visitors’ Center, the current rededication and open house dates were announced in a letter from the First Presidency. At the time, artist renderings of several interior areas were published online (see gallery above for renderings).
The temple was closed in 2018 to renovate mechanical and electrical systems, refresh finishes and furnishings, and expand the gardens
Known for its mid-century modern architecture and prominence along the Capital Beltway, the 160,000-square-foot temple stands on 52 acres. The temple, the Church’s 16th in operation, was announced in 1968 and dedicated six years later by President Spencer W. Kimball. Located 10 miles north of the United States Capitol, the temple serves Latter-day Saints in Washington, D.C.; Virginia; West Virginia; and Maryland.
The original public open house of the Washington D.C. Temple was attended by 758,328 guests, including Betty Ford, wife of then-U.S. President Gerald Ford.
