The best outdoor cinema in London

There are few more striking spots to catch a movie than the iconic surrounds of the Barbican Sculpture Court. As usual, the City of London’s temple of the arts has an inventively curated line-up in store in late August and early September. Cineastes can bask in the surrealist magic of Ingmar Bergman’s ‘Wild Strawberries’, while music lovers have a rare outdoor screening of Prince’s legendary concert doc, ‘Sign O’ the Times’, to look forward to. Tickets are £18 and there’s street food to feast on while admiring His Purpleness’s moves, including Toum & Tahini’s legendary fattah.

Time Out’s Movies on the River line-up is back and more romantic than ever. Thanks to dating app Hinge, London’s floating cinema is smelling of roses this summer, with a mini line-up of romance and romcoms to take your potential bae or actual partner to – and a pre-screening Thames cruise to capture it all for Insta posterity. On the line-up are hometown romcom ‘Notting Hill’; Oscar-winning coming-of-age story ‘Moonlight’; swooning Hollywood musical ‘La La Land’; and Heath Ledger high-school classic ‘10 Things I Hate About You’. Best of all, it’s entirely free, so you can save your cash for a fancy pre-boarding dinner.

Tickets are available from Monday, July 22.

Say hello to the adorably-named ‘Wooftop Screenings’ this summer, as the ever-reliable Rooftop Film Club folk widen their outdoor movie offerings in all sorts of tail-wag-worthy ways. You can take your pooch to the Bussey Building for a June 21 screening of ‘Marley and Me’ with a special ‘pamper pooch package’ (£23), though it might need a paw-up to enjoy the Peckham venue’s legendary views (also, find the film a little traumatising). For dog-less movie lovers, there’s a whole host of rooftop flicks to choose from at the Bussey Building and Stratford’s Roof East, with recent releases (‘Love Lies Bleeding’, ‘Dune: Part Two’, ‘Back to Black’) and old favourites (‘Up’, ‘Jurassic Park’) all on the slate. Tickets start at £16.95, deckchairs and headphones are provided. As usual, the street food options are copious. 

The waterside pop-up returns to the Regent’s Canal at the beginning of July to keep King’s Cross-goers entertained with the summer’s big sporting events and – this one being run by Everyman – a finely curated selection of more than 150 new and beloved movies. On the programme is everything from ‘Aftersun’ and ‘Dune: Part Two’ to ‘Bob Marley: One Love’ and ‘Barbie’. Snacks, popcorn and drinks will be available to enhance the experience and, of course, there’s plenty of food options in Granary Square, too. Look out for a screening of ‘The Lord of The Rings’ trilogy for those who have seen everywhere apart from on a beanbag by a historic waterway. Totes orcs!

Street food, river views and five family-friendly movies… what could be better than July’s outdoor screenings in Vauxhall’s Pleasure Gardens? Just the fact that they’re all completely free. Running every Tuesday evening from July 9 at 7pm, this leafy Thames-side spot will be welcoming all-comers for screenings of ‘Encanto’, ‘Barbie’, ‘Men in Black’, ‘Kung Fu Panda’ (3pm, July 30) and ‘Moulin Rouge!’. Picnic blankets and chairs are a fiver to hire, and there’s an array of Caribbean, Japanese, Middle Eastern and Mexican food concessions to tuck into. Book ahead because spots are limited.

Helping replace Canary Wharf’s corporate image with something fun and family-friendly, Canada Square Park will be screening movies and sporting events up on its big screens this summer. Wimbledon and the Olympics will both be packing in the crowds, and there’s a whole programme of free movies, taking in everything from ‘Clueless’ (5pm, June 16), to ‘The Dark Knight’ (7pm, July 16), to a rare playing for Hindi-language spectacular ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’ (7pm, Aug 20). It’s very much a BYO set-up, so bring your own blankets and snacks – though there’s a Waitrose nearby for any last-minute picnic needs.

Not just a luxe indoor movie option, Picturehouse also has wheels. The chain’s outdoor screen will be hitting the road again this summer, with two stop-offs in London: Gunnersbury Park (July 19-21) and Greenwich Peninsula (July 26-August 4). The programming is pure serotonin fuel, with ‘Mamma Mia!’, ‘La La Land’, ‘Barbie’ and ‘10 Things I Hate About You’. Oh, and ‘Jaws’ at Greenwich potentially putting everyone off taking the riverboat home. Tickets come with a £5 food and drinks voucher, with deck chairs available on a first-come-first-served basis. Bring your own blankets, cushions and (smallish) chairs.

The bustling Brent River, offshooting the Thames in West London, is home to a big new regeneration project with its own big screen this summer. Everyman on the Water, a free outdoor cinema from the posh cinema chain, will be up and running for early July to late August, showing tennis from Wimbledon and a wide array of crowd-pleasing flicks during those (hopefully) balmy summer months. There are as many as three movies screening each day, ranging from family-friendly goodness (‘Wonka’, ‘The Wizard of Oz’, ‘Matilda the Musical’) to more 15-and-above fare (‘Bob Marley: One Love’, ‘Jaws’, ‘La La Land’).

Fancy feeling like you’re in ‘Bridgerton’ while taking in an outdoor movie? Adventure Cinema has a ticket – probably on some kind of silver salver – with your name on it. The event company takes its big screens to National Trust houses, castles and beautiful country piles from Cornwall to Sunderland. There’s two venues in London this summer: Charlton House & Gardens (June 7-9) is showing ‘Back to the Future’, ‘Dirty Dancing’ and a sing-a-long screening of ‘Grease’, while West London pile Osterley Park (August 8-11) has ‘Pretty Woman’, a sing-a-long ‘The Greatest Showman’, ‘Mamma Mia!’ and ‘Back to the Future’ on the programme. Primo tickets (£24.64) include a deck chair, otherwise bring your comfiest rugs and cushions.

Location in the walled gardens of Hertfordshire’s The Grove hotel, Everyman’s pop-up is a special occasion option – because you’ll need to splash out for a room for the night or dinner in one of the hotel restaurants to experience it. To quote ‘Withnail and I’: free to those who can afford it, very expensive to those who can't. ‘Withnail’ isn’t screening but the likes of ‘Wonka’, ‘Mrs Doubtfire’, ‘Toy Story’ are the 4.30pm matinee options, while 8pm evening showings include ‘Anatomy of a Fall’, ‘Rocketman’ and ‘Dune: Part Two’. The beanbags and headphones are all top of the range.