Airport pianos: where you can play on a layover

Airport pianos we could verify

Airport pianos come and go: they get moved during renovations, taken away after the holidays, or quietly retired. We only list pianos below that a source from the last two years confirms, and we say which side of security they are on only where the source makes it clear.

Other airports have had pianos at one time or another. We left them out because we couldn’t confirm them from a recent source. If you play one, add it to PianoSpot with a photo and the gate or hall it is in, so the next traveler doesn’t have to guess.

Airside or landside: why it decides everything

On a layover you are usually airside, past security, near the gates. A piano there is easy: walk over, play, walk back. A piano landside, in a check-in or arrivals hall, is a different story. Getting to it means leaving the secure area, and getting back means going through security again, and at some airports passport control too.

Before you go looking, work out three things:

1. Which terminal and gate area you are in. Big airports split pianos across terminals that aren’t always connected airside.
2. Which side the piano is on. A gate number in the description is a good sign it is airside. “Arrivals hall” or “check-in area” usually means you would have to leave and come back in.
3. How much time you really have. Count back from your boarding time, not your departure time, and leave margin for a long security queue if you would need to re-enter. When in doubt, stay airside.

Checking an airport piano before you walk over

Airport concourses are long, and nobody wants to walk twenty minutes to find a covered piano or an empty spot where one used to stand. In PianoSpot, search the airport’s city and open the piano page. Photos show what it looks like and often what is around it, which helps you spot it from across a hall. Recent reviews tell you whether it is playable and, if people mention it, which gate it is near.

If the airport’s own website has an art or amenities page, it may list the piano too. Information desks know where it is. Ask before you wander.

Playing at a gate

An airport piano has a captive audience: people who are tired, waiting and can’t walk away. That is why airport performances often go down well, and also why a few habits matter more here than at a station.

• Keep listening for announcements. Stop playing when the gate agent speaks. Missing a gate change because you were mid-sonata is a bad end to a layover.
• Pick calmer pieces. People nearby may be sleeping, working or on a call.
• Keep your bags with you. Unattended bags in an airport get reported quickly.
• Mind the clock. Set an alarm for boarding time before you start.

Sources: Airport Pianos, Chicago O’Hare and Toronto Pearson pages (August 2025 updates); Dublin Airport news release, 2 November 2025. Checked October 2026.