Outdoor Cinema Experiences To Book Now
Rooftop Film Club, Peckham & Stratford
Rooftop Film Club has reopened at two London locations: the Bussey Building in Peckham and Roof East in Stratford. Alongside fresh releases such as Tom Cruise’s Top Gun: Maverick, Liquorice Pizza and The Northman, the club will show classics like Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo & Juliet, Notting Hill, The Devil Wears Prada and Dirty Dancing. Food is served before the screening starts, and you can buy drinks and snacks to be delivered to your deckchair during the film. Look out for 90s classics throughout July, and a ‘Black Cinema’ series celebrating Black actors and creatives.
Open now; Roof A, Bussey Building, 133 Rye Lane, Peckham, SE15 4ST; Roof East, Great Eastern Road, Stratford, E15 1BB
Visit RooftopFilmClub.com
Backyard Cinema, Wandsworth & Islington
This converted TV studio offers drinking and dining spaces both indoors and out. The team behind Backyard Cinema like to mix things up with new and exciting interactive backdrops to transport viewers to another world. Choose from Miami Beach or LA Nights themes in Wandsworth, or book tickets at Union Chapel in Islington to travel back to 1996 for Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo & Juliet – picture stained-glass windows, candle-lit aisles and a live choir. Pizza, sandwiches and cocktails are available at both locations.
Open now; 13 Wandsworth Plain, Wandsworth, SW18 1ET; 19b Compton Terrace, Islington, N1 2UN
Visit BackyardCinema.co.uk
Marylebone Summer Festival, London
Marylebone’s Summer Festival returns for another round of live music, food, family activities, shopping and outdoor dining. At Paddington Street Gardens, watch a screening of the Academy Award-winning Bohemian Rhapsody from a deckchair on the lawns. All profits will go towards the Greenhouse Sports charity which helps engage young people through sports. Guests can buy limited-edition cocktails from a pop-up bar by the Marylebone Hotel.
18th-19th June; Paddington Street, Marylebone, W1U 4AL
Visit MaryleboneVillage.com
The Islander Festival, London
Expect markets, musical performances and an outdoor cinema with deckchairs and beanbags at London City Island’s first Islander Festival. In addition to full coverage of this year’s tennis from Wimbledon, visitors can watch Brit romcom Wimbledon, as well as family favourites like Wonder Woman, 10 Things I Hate About You, Paddington, Black Panther and School of Rock. Chocolate shop Cartografie will serve ice-cream, sorbet and popcorn, while The Lockdown Beach Hut will serve Pimm’s, Aperol Spritz and Nyetimber wine.
27th June-18th July; 45 Hope Street, Canary Wharf, E14 0GQ
Visit LondonCityIsland.com
Barbican Outdoor Cinema
Barbican is hosting a week of outdoor screenings in its courtyard. Six screenings will showcase independent and international talent. Highlights include the 1961 classic Mothra which tells the story of a iconic Japanese monster; Princess Mononoke, a 90s anime film about a young warrior cursed by a demon; and Julie Dash’s classic Daughters of the Dust. Food and drink will be available via a pop-up serving burgers, fries, nachos and cinema snacks.
23rd-28th August; Silk Street, Barbican, EC2Y 8DS
Visit Barbican.org.uk
Not In London? Here Are Some Regional Options...
Adventure Cinema
The UK’s largest touring outdoor cinema has kicked off a summer of entertainment that runs until the end of September. Look out for more than 200 outdoor screenings across 70 venues, including locations in London, Cardiff, Bristol, Peterborough, Coventry, Margate, Carmarthen, Portsmouth, Cardiff, Bournemouth and Lincoln. Films being screened include recent hits West Side Story and Encanto, alongside favourites Mamma Mia!, Grease Sing-A-Long, The Greatest Showman Sing-A-Long, Bridget Jones’s Diary, Dirty Dancing, Pretty Woman and Moulin Rouge.
Open now; various locations
Visit AdventureCinema.co.uk
Luna Cinema
After last year’s pandemic-friendly drive-in series, Luna Cinema is back in its original format. Films will be screened at 40 locations around the UK including impressive venues like Chiswick House, Ascot Racecourse, Westminster Abbey, Leeds Castle and Hampton Court Palace – as well as parks like Clapham Common, Highfield Park and Regent’s Park. Choose from new award-winners like King Richard and Belfast, or 90s classics such as Clueless and Pretty Woman. Little Moons ice-cream and sweet treats will be available everywhere.
26th June-1st September; various locations
Visit TheLunaCinema.com
The Grove x Everyman Cinema
Luxury Hertfordshire estate The Grove has teamed up with Everyman for a series of outdoor screenings. From Wednesdays to Sundays, hotel guests or diners in the hotel’s restaurants can watch films on the big screen in the Walled Garden, kitted out with beanbags. Choose from afternoon or evening screenings of Death on the Nile, Back to the Future, Moana, Fantastic Mr Fox, Jumanji, Peter Rabbit 2 and more. After the film, guests can relax in one of the hotel’s rooms and make use of the facilities, including the spa.
15th July-4th September; Chandler’s Cross, Hertfordshire, WD3 4TG
Visit TheGrove.co.uk
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