Can You Climb the Empire State Building? History, Stunts and the Stair Race

Short answer: people have climbed the Empire State Building without permission more than once, most recently in July 2026, and there is exactly one legal way to run up it — the annual Empire State Building Run-Up, a registered charity stair race up 1,576 steps to the 86th floor. Everyone else reaches the top by ticket and elevator.

The 2026 spire climb

On July 1, 2026, two climbers — Angelina Nikolau and Ivan Kuznetsov — scaled the Empire State Building’s spire and unfurled a banner roughly 1,450 feet above the city, reading “When the power of love beats the love of power the world knows peace.” The pair had entered the building as ordinary visitors the day before, hid inside after closing, and reached the spire through a hatch on the 103rd floor that isn’t open to the public. Photos posted afterward appeared to show a marriage proposal at the top. The NYPD’s Emergency Service Unit responded, and both climbers were arrested and arraigned on charges including burglary, reckless endangerment and criminal mischief — charges that, under New York law, are not eligible for bail.

Has this happened before?

Unauthorized climbs of the Empire State Building have made news periodically since it opened in 1931, usually stunts, protests or (rarely) escape attempts by people who’d hidden inside after hours, as in the 2026 incident. None of it is condoned or made easy by the building, which restricts roof and mechanical-level access behind staff-only doors and hatches.

The legal version: the Empire State Building Run-Up

Once a year, the building closes its elevators to the public and opens its stairwell for the Empire State Building Run-Up — a timed race up 86 flights, 1,576 steps, to the finish line on the 86th Floor Observatory. It’s billed as the world’s first tower race, and the Challenged Athletes Foundation is its official charity partner, with a dedicated division for athletes with permanent physical disabilities. Recent editions have drawn a few hundred registered runners from around the world; entry is by registration and lottery, not a walk-up ticket.

The way up everyone else uses

For a visit rather than a stunt or a race, the building is reached the ordinary way: book a ticket, ride the elevator, and use the observatory entrance at 20 West 34th Street. See the full comparison of ticket and tour options on the tickets hub.