Open Air: where to see outdoor movies in London this summer

Adventure Cinema

Adventure Cinema call themselves the largest series of outdoor movie screenings in the UK. In 2025, the project covers more than 60 unique locations – from Alnwick Castle (familiar to Harry Potter fans) to Welsh fortresses and historic estates. London deserves special attention: the capital’s shows take place at Kew Gardens, one of the capital’s most picturesque locations, a UNESCO World Heritage Site with one of the most diverse botanical collections.

Movies are shown outside the Pavilion Bar & Grill and watched right on the lawn. The season starts in June, and the repertoire ranges from family-friendly cartoons, concert recordings and nostalgic classics like Bridget Jones’s Diary. Expect no premieres, but a rare chance to see a familiar movie surrounded by wildlife.

Barbican Outdoor Cinema

Barbican Outdoor Cinema, as is tradition, offers the most curated and aesthetically thoughtful program. 11 days of open-air screenings at Sculpture Court, surrounded by skyscrapers and the brutalist Barbican, bring together works by outstanding directors such as David Lynch, Claire Denis, Wes Anderson, Apichatpong Weerasethakul and others.

The season kicks off with Lynch’s version of Dune – not so much science fiction as archetypal meditation – and ends with Little Shop of Horrors, a musical that turns genre into grotesque spectacle. In between are rare gems like Babymother and Björk’s concert film Cornucopia. Screenings take place at the end of August.

Rooftop Film Club

The Rooftop Film Club program features a carefully selected mix of popular films that are understandable and appealing to a wide audience – from fresh festival hits like “Anora” to cult films like “Romeo and Juliet” and “Dirty Dancing” that evoke nostalgia and warm memories.

The venues – the rooftops of the Bussey Building in Peckham and Roof East in Stratford – give spectacular panoramic views of the city and create a collective immersive movie experience. The horizon becomes part of the frame and the movie becomes part of the panorama. The 2025 season runs from May to July, with screenings on weekdays and weekends – the perfect way to spend summer evenings.

Summer Screens at Canary Wharf

Summer Screens in Canada Square Park is a free outdoor cinema with a diverse program. On weekends, movies for the whole family are shown, while weekdays are reserved for older audiences: blockbusters, musical biopics and dramas. There are Forrest Gump, Ghostbusters, Mamma Mia, and Roald Dahl’s Matilda – the list is huge.

On the days of major sporting events – Formula 1, Wimbledon, cricket, Ascot – the screen turns into a place of attraction for fans. In summer 2025, screenings run from early June to mid-September.

Everyman on the Canal

Every summer, Everyman on the Canal festival transforms Granary Square promenade into one of London’s most vibrant cinema spaces – and it’s all free too. A huge screen by the water, on Canal Side Steps, creates a unique visual and acoustic field.

This year’s screen design is by colorful British artist Yinka Ilori, whose inspiration comes from iconic Walt Disney films. In honor of this, the audience is offered not only Disney hits, but also a selection of classics and light comedies – “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”, “Dirty Dancing” and “Top Gun: Maverick”. For sports fans a special program – live broadcasts of Wimbledon, which complete the overall picture of the cultural summer.

Open House at BST Hyde Park

Open House is an eight-day free film festival set against the backdrop of a major BST Hyde Park music event with stars such as Neil Young and Olivia Rodrigo.

Movies on a huge screen will alternate each night, starting at 19:00. From the cult “Thelma” and “The Goonies” to “Harry Potter” and the futuristic “Dune”, the program is conceived as a multi-layered portrait of mass culture and auteur cinema. A special format with headphones allows you to immerse yourself in history despite the noise of the park and the festival. Entrance is on a first-come, first-served basis.