The best outdoor cinema in London

Every summer Marylebone closes itself off to traffic to throw a giant street party. Join on the Saturday for an open air pop-up cinema showing in Paddington Street Gardens. Head along during the day for a family-friendly screenings of Disney’s ‘Encanto’ at 1:30pm, or an evening screening of award-winning ‘Elvis’. BYOB (bring your own blanket) to sit on the grass and watch or opt for the VIP option which includes a free ‘Hound Dog’ cocktail, a deck chair and headphones. There’ll also be pre-film activities including free table tennis, live music, food stalls and a festival pop-up bar in partnership with 108 Brasserie.

Never one for sloppy standards, Luna’s picked some of the most illustrious venues in the capital for its alfresco screens. Its 13 London locations include sites as resplendent as Kenwood House, Kensington Palace, Westminster Abbey and Kew Gardens. When you’re not being dazzled by your surroundings, focus on cinematic classics, like ‘Paddington’ and ‘Some Like it Hot’ and newer releases like ‘Everything, Everywhere all at Once’ and ‘The Banshees Of Inisherin’. 

Screenings run Jun 22 - Sep 10. Tickets start at £17.50. 

This alfresco staple has been going for over a decade now, but its pull shows no sign of waning. Back in two venues, Roof East, Stratford and Peckham’s Bussey Building, it’s got another cargo of crowd-pleasing films to soak in under the stars with panoramas of the London skyline in the background. Expect new releases like ‘Rye Lane’ and ‘The Menu’ as well as evergreen favourites like ‘High Fidelity’ and ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’, all served with a side order of wood-fired pizza, gourmet burgers and cocktails delivered direct to your deckchair. 

Tickets start at £16.95, kids at £5.95. 

If you’ve been down to Granary Square, you’ll have spotted that handy arena-like area down by the canal. Everyman certainly has because the posh cinema chain is plonking down some beanbags and setting up a big screen opposite the Canal Side Steps and playing a medley of free-to-attend crowdpleasing hits over the summer months. On the bill are ‘Elvis’, ‘Matilda the Musical’, ‘Top Gun: Maverick’, ‘Mamma Mia!’ and ‘Casablanca’ – and for the sport-minded, Wimbledon (the tournament, not the movie). Pizzas, side plates, cocktails and other Everyman menu items are available to order too.

Screenings run 22 June to 6 August. Free.

There’s masses on offer from Pop Up Screens, who return this summer for nearly three month’s worth of outdoor cinema. While you can expect recent hits like ‘Top Gun: Maverick’, ‘Elvis’ and ‘The Greatest Showman’, Pop Up Screens are also showing classics like ‘Ten Things I Hate About You’, ‘The Breakfast Club’, ‘Grease’ and more. The screenings vary in location, with Pop Up Screens dropping by Greenwich Peninsula’s Central Park, Hillyfields in Brockley, Esher’s National Trust Property Claremont Gardens, Ravenscourt Park in Hammersmith, Manor House Gardens in Hither Green, Bexley’s Hall Place and Fulham’s Bishops Park. Pop Up Screens is partnering up with Gü, so a free pudding (and ramekin!) is part of the deal this year. 

Screenings run from Jul 21 – Sep 24. Tickets are £12 for adults,£8 for under tens.