Although the importance of personality in our happiness is well-established, prior research has tended to focus either on neuroticism or on extraversion. And as such, other traits of potential interest have tended to be neglected. In this study, we focused on openness to experience, a previously less well-investigated trait, and its relation to subjective well-being (SWB). To be specific, using data from the GESIS Panel (Ν = 874), we examined the hypothesis that arts engagement and interest mediate, at least partially, the relation of openness to experience to SWB components­, namely life satisfaction, positive affect, and negative affect. Results of mediation analyses revealed a positive relation between openness to experience and positive affect, which was partially explained by arts engagement but not by arts interest. These results not only confirm the relevance of the arts to happiness, but also offer new insights into how openness to experience provides conditions that are conducive to positive affect.