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Open-air movies in London 2012

Cath Clarke rounds up this summer's crop of outdoor film screenings

Outdoor London

  • Boundary

    Your guide to outdoor London, including beer gardens, outdoor activities, music festivals, open-air cinema, lidos, outdoor restaurants, roof terraces and open-air theatre

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The Nomad Cinema at Brompton Cemetery The Nomad Cinema at Brompton Cemetery

Is it….? Are we…? After the rainiest spring since Noah, could this be the start of summer? Must be, because the open-air cinema season is back, and this year there’s more going on than ever. Whether you want to weep along to ‘West Side Story’ or watch ‘The Shining’ in a cemetery (jeepers!), here’s Time Out’s pick of the hottest tickets… And, rule of thumb, unless the weather gets truly biblical, the show will go on...

  • Rooftop Film Club, Shoreditch

    Until Fri Aug 31, Queen of Hoxton

    The Rooftop Film Club have perfected the art of outdoor cinema on the roof of the Queen of Hoxton pub, with comfy director chairs, blankets and wireless headphones (say goodbye to cinema rustle). This year, they are screening films five nights a week all summer. Movies on offer are a mix of ’80s faves (‘Back to the Future’, ‘When Harry Met Sally’) with a dash of retro Hollywood (‘Some Like It Hot’, ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’). Barbecue at pub prices. Read more about Rooftop Film Club, Shoreditch

  • Royal Opera House BP Summer Big Screen

    Free
    May 17, 30 & Jul 30, Trafalgar Square

    They’ve been known to squeeze 10,000 people into Trafalgar Square for the Royal Opera House’s screenings (insert your own fat lady joke here). If you fancy dipping your toe into opera or ballet, why not start with the good stuff, for free? Performances are beamed live from Covent Garden and the crowd is a friendly mix of music lovers, pearl-rattlers and picnickers. They’re kicking off early this year with ‘La Bohème’ and ‘Falstaff’ in May, followed by the Royal Ballet’s ‘Metamorphosis: Titian 2012’ in July. No glass is allowed inside the square. Read more about the Royal Opera House BP Summer Big Screen

  • Midsummer Night Screen at Dalston Roof Park

    Midsummer Night Screen

    May 18, Jun 22, Jul 20 & Aug 31, Dalston Roof Park

    One of east London’s most charming venues – the Astroturfed roof of an old factory – is hosting movies again this year. Foodies take note: these are the folks behind The Long Table in Dalston, so catering will be top notch. ‘American Graffiti’ opens the Midsummer Night Screen season on May 18 with rollerskating waitresses and burgers. See Hear Club are hosting music and film nights – acoustic gigs followed by the bands’ fave films. Best of all they’ve got an inflatable roof to keep the rain out. Read more about Midsummer Night Screen

  • The Nomad roaming cinema

    Jun 2-Sep 22, Various venues

    The intrepid Nomad reaches the places no other cinema does, roaming into all sorts of London nooks. The big sister of the Lexi Cinema, this year they are venturing into Brompton Cemetery with ‘The Shining’, to Fulham Palace with ‘The Artist’ and Hyde Park’s Lido for yet-to-be-confirmed movies. Read more about The Nomad roaming cinema

  • Helen Mirren in 'The Queen'

    Rooftop Film Club, Kensington

    Jun 4 & 10, The Roof Gardens

    As well as their East End flagship, Rooftop are poshing it up west with one-off screenings at the very classy (they’ve got flamingos!) Roof Gardens in Kensington. Highlights include a right royal double-bill of ‘The Queen’ and ‘The King’s Speech’ on June 4. The bar stays open to midnight. Read more about Rooftop Film Club, Kensington

  • Wallace and Gromit in the Curse of the Were-Rabbit

    Made in Britain free outdoor screenings

    Free
    Jun 6-8, Broadgate Circle

    The City of London isn’t the place you’d normally go looking for a freebie. One exception is the annual screenings in Broadgate Circle – the space just behind Liverpool Street Station. For three days during summer half-term Bethnal Green’s Rich Mix Cinema arrives for twice daily family-friendly screenings. Lunchtime shows tend to bring in a mix of kids off school and suits eating their sarnies (some office workers bring their kids to the office for the day especially). There’s free popcorn and fancy dress (for the kids!). Evenings catch the after work crowd, drinking beers from the local pubs and bars. Confirmed films are 'Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit' (Jun 6 12.15pm), 'Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows' (Jun 6 5.45pm), 'The Italian Job' (Jun 7 5.45pm) and 'Nanny McPhee' (Jun 8 12.15pm). Read more about Made in Britain

  • 'Dirty Dancing' the film

    Pop Up Screens

    Jul 6-Sep 16, Various venues

    Last year they were the new kids on the block, screening films in Ravenscourt Park, Hammersmith. This summer, Pop Up Screen are hitting parks in all four corners of the capital. Full details are on their website. Films are mostly Hollywood crowd-pleasers: ‘The Big Lebowski’ and ‘Dirty Dancing’. Fancy burger shack Tucker’s Exotic Meats is in charge of food. Read more about Pop Up Screens

  • The Luna Cinema

    Jul 20-Sep 22, Various venues

    It’s all about location at The Luna Cinema. Their mission is to sit you down in a stunning London spot at sunset with friends and a picnic, then show you a classic movie. This year they’ve added Kew Gardens to an already pretty special list venues (Hampton Court Palace, Holland Park, Kensington Gardens). Highlights include ‘Edward Scissorhands’ at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, ‘The King’s Speech’ at Kensington Palace and ‘Singin’ in the Rain’ in Holland Park. If you fancy a day trip, what about heading to Margate Beach? Or Leeds Castle in Kent (they’re screening ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’ – so prepare for a camp-fest)? Policy is bring your booze and food (no glass please). And there's always catering - the posher the park, the fancier the food. Read more about The Luna Cinema

  • Film4 Summer Screen
    Buy tickets

    Film4 Summer Screen

    Aug 16-25, Somerset House

    Watching a movie under the stars in Somerset House’s beautiful courtyard on a balmy summer evening is a near-perfect London experience. And their 2012 season is a real dazzler, opening with the UK premiere of Walter Salles’s new film of Jack Kerouac’s ‘On the Road’ – a month before it hits cinema. Other highlights include Hitchcock’s ‘The Birds’, ‘Paris, Texas’, ‘Apocalypse Now’ and ’80s faves ‘Pretty in Pink’ and ‘Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom’. Or, if you’re feeling experimental, what about Gaspar Noe’s controversial ‘Enter the Void’? The closing-night screening is another UK first – John Hillcoat’s crime drama ‘Lawless’. Tickets go on sale on May 18 and they shift quickly, so get in early. On the night doors, open at 6.30pm. Arrive early to save a spot and enjoy the atmosphere. Read more about Film4 Summer Screen

  • More London Free Film Festival

    Free
    Sep 12-28, The Scoop

    Officially the last hurrah of the alfresco season, The Scoop’s September screenings start at 7.30pm, making them the most kid-friendly of the lot, with a jaw-dropping view of Tower Bridge. This year’s line-up includes ‘West Side Story’, ‘Senna’ and ‘Great Expectations’. They’ve got a one-in-one-out policy for seating, so arrive an hour or so early to bagsy a seat. Read more about the More London Free Film Festival

  • Sugarhouse Studios

    Ongoing, 107 High St, Stratford, E15

    Cheating a bit, this, since technically Sugarhouse Studios is not outdoors. But Assemble, the collective behind it, gave us Folly for a Flyover last year and have a track record of bringing a unique atmosphere to wherever they pop up. Oh, and they have exceedingly good taste in movies. They’ve taken up residency in an old signwriter’s shop in Stratford, transforming it into a bar and a café serving both pizza and cinema. Upcoming midnight movies include ‘McCabe & Mrs Miller’ and ‘Five Easy Pieces’. Thursdays evenings have a London theme (‘The Elephant Man’), and the Sunday Supper Club (dinner, movie, with a break for desert) is a snip at £15. Read more about Sugarhouse Studios

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