For the updated 2019 guide to London’s outdoor and pop-up cinemas this summer, click here.

Enjoy great views of the capital with Rooftop Cinema’s sky-high venues

While your latest cinema is sure to show all the latest releases, there’s not really that much atmosphere in modern screening rooms. Fortunately, parks, rooftops and other open spaces come to life over the summer as roaming film companies set up camp. These pop-up cinemas can offer Londoners the chance to see their favourite movies on the big screen in an alfresco environment. However, if the weather’s not too kind, there are also immersive, undercover experiences such as Backyard Cinema. Here’s a guide to the capital’s alfresco and pop-up cinema offerings this summer.

• 21 March until 6 September : Backyard Cinema – Mission To Mars

Watch your favourite sci-fi film in a ‘spaceship’ for an immersive cinematic experience. Tickets: Adults from £17.50, Children (under 12) from £9.50. Date night package for two: £75 (includes snacks, bottle of Prosecco and blankets). Backyard Cinema, Mercato Metropolitano, 42 Newington Causeway, Elephant & Castle, SE1 6DR. Nearest station: Elephant & Castle or Borough. For booking and listings, visit the Backyard Cinema website. Read Metro Girl’s review to find out more.

• 3 May – 31 August : Rooftop Film Club

Pop-up cinema returns to rooftops across the capital, screening new and classic films. Venues include Bussey Building (Peckham), Queen of Hoxton (Shoreditch) and Roof East (Stratford). Tickets start from £14/95/£15.96 (includes seating and wireless headphones). For more information and tickets, visit Rooftop Film Club website.

• 22 May – 6 October : Luna Cinema

Luna Cinema will be popping up at various venues across the capital this summer. Locations include Victoria Embankment Gardens, Brockwell Lido, Osterley Park and House, Danson House (Bexleyheath), Southwark Park, Morden Hall Park, One New Change, Hatfield House, Wimbledon Park, Tooting Common, Crystal Palace Park, Horniman Museum, Greenwich Park, Kenwood House, Wandsworth Park, Opera Holland Park, Hampton Court Palace, Kensington Palace, Westminster Abbey, Victoria Tower Gardens, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, Fulham Palace, Dulwich Park, Chiswick House & Gardens, Battersea Park and Alexandra Palace. Ticket prices vary depending on venue and package. For tickets, visit the Luna Cinema website.

• 2 June – 28 August : London Bridge City Summer Festival Screenings

Free film screenings most Tuesdays throughout the summer. Get to the steps early to grab a spot. Movies include The Greatest Showman, La La Land, Grease, Guardians Of The Galaxy, Beauty And The Beast, Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle, The BFG and Into The Woods. 7pm. Free. The Scoop, Queen’s Walk, Borough, SE1 2DB. Nearest station: London Bridge. For listings, visit the London Bridge City website. 

• 6 June, 4 July, 1 August, 5 September : Merchant Square Movie Night

Monthly movie screenings at the Paddington Basin. Films include The Breakfast Club, La La Land, The Greatest Showman and Dirty Dancing. Free. Merchant Square, Paddington Basin, W2 1JS. Nearest station: Paddington. For more information, visit the Merchant Square website.

Watch a new or classic film against the stunning backdrop of Somerset House

• 16 June – 14 September : Nomad

Travelling cinema company returns this summer with a new roll call of venues. Locations include Paddington Street Gardens, Citypoint, Queens Park, Festival Gardens, Brompton Cemetery and Hyde Park Lido. Tickets: £10-£15. For tickets, visit the Nomad website.

• 27 June – 9 July : Power of Summer @ Battersea Power Station

Watch your favourite movies in the shadow of the iconic Battersea Power Station. Films include Some Like It Hot, The Way We Were, Clueless, Toy Story, The Sound Of Music and many more. Times vary. Tickets: £5 (inc deckchair and wireless headphones). Circus West Village Piazza, Battersea Power Station, SW11 8NN. Nearest station: Battersea Park or Queenstown Road Battersea. For more information, visit the Battersea Power Station website.

• 27 June – 15 July : Summer Love Film Festival @ King’s Cross

Watch your favourite film on the banks of the Regent’s Canal in King’s Cross. Movies include Moonlight, La La Land, Black Panther, The Graduate, West Side Story and Grease, among others. Times vary. Free, but you must book a ticket. Canalside Steps, Granary Square, King’s Cross, N1C 4AA. Nearest station: King’s Cross St Pancras. For more information, visit the King’s Cross website.

• 1 July – 30 September : Garden Cinema @ Metro Garden

A summer of musicals will be screened in the garden of Metro in Clapham every Sunday. Movies include Chicago, The Sound Of Music, Dreamgirls, The Bodyguard and more. From 7.30pm. Tickets from £15 (inc seat, hotdog, 1 drink and popcorn). Metro Garden, 9 Clapham Common Southside, Clapham, SW4 7AA. Nearest station: Clapham Common. For more information, visit the Metro Garden website.

Head to BST in Hyde Park for four days of free open-air screenings

• 9 – 12 July : Open House Outdoor Cinema @ BST

The British Summer Time Festival will be opening their doors for free for four days only. Featuring outdoor cinema, live music, street food and other activities. Films include The Lego Movie, Matilda, The Greatest Showman, Grease, Lion, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure and Flash Gordon. Screenings at 5.30pm and 8.30pm. Free entry. Hyde Park, W2 2UH. Nearest station: Hyde Park Corner or Marble Arch. For more information, visit the BST website.

• 10 – 31 July : Vauxhall One – Summer Screen

Pop-up cinema returns to Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens. Films include Dirty Dancing, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Miss Congeniality and a public vote for the fourth and final movie. 7pm onwards on Tuesdays. Free. Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens (Entrance on Kennington Lane), Vauxhall, SE11 5HY. Nearest station: Vauxhall. For more information, visit the Vauxhall One website.

• 11 – 13 July : Cult Screens

Roaming UK pop-up screen will be coming to London for several dates at Twickenham’s York House Gardens, featuring Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri, Lost Boys and The Greatest Showman. Doors open 7.30pm. Tickets: £13.95-£45. York House Gardens, Richmond Road, Twickenham, TW1 3AA. Nearest station: Twickenham. For more information, visit Cult Screens.

• 11 July – 18 August : Time Out London presents Movies on the River

Watch classic movies or new releases while cruising down the Thames. Runs Tues-Sat. Boats depart at 8pm, returning after the movie finishes. Tickets from £29. Tower Pier, Lower Thames Street, City of London, EC3N 4DT. Nearest stations: Tower Hill or Tower Gateway. For tickets, visit the Time Out London website.

• 16 – 29 July : Floating Film Festival

Watch recent releases or classic movies on a floating pontoon in the urban oasis of St Katharine Docks. Sit on a beanbag or deckchair. Films include Black Panther, Baby Driver, The Greatest Showman, Pretty Woman, Clueless and more. Screening times: Weeknights 7pm, Weekends 2pm and 7pm. Tickets: £12. St Katharine Docks, 50 St Katharine’s Way, E1W 1LA. Nearest station: Tower Hill or Tower Gateway. For more information, visit the St Kats website.

• 20 July – 23 September : Pop Up Screens

Pop-Up Screens’ summer programme sees them setting up camp at Russell Square, Maida Vale, Crouch End, Fulham, Hither Green, Greenwich, The Guildhall Yard, Hammersmith and Denmark Hill. Tickets from £12.50. For tickets, visit Pop Up Screens.

• 8 – 25 August : Secret Cinema presents William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet

Immersive cinema company brings Baz Lurhmann’s vision of Verona Beach to the capital. Expect love, violence, Hawaiian shirts and a banging soundtrack in a five-hour outdoor festival, including screening. No cameras allowed. Times vary. Tickets start from £51.67. At a secret London location. For more information and tickets, visit the Secret Cinema website. Read Metro Girl’s review of a previous Secret Cinema event.

• 8 August – 26 September : Sunset Cinema Film Nights @ John Lewis Rooftop

Samsung presents a rooftop cinema on the top of the John Lewis flagship store. Films include Chicago, Footloose, Dirty Dancing, Dreamgirls and Grease. Tickets: £15. John Lewis, 300 Oxford Street, Marylebone, WC1 1DX. Nearest station: Oxford Circus or Bond Street. For booking, visit Eventbrite.

• 9 – 22 August : Film4 Summer Screen

The courtyard of Somerset House hosts two weeks of alfresco summer screenings. Films include The Wife, Labyrinth, Inception, Rebecca, Total Recall, Selma and many more. Tickets: £19.75-£26.75. Somerset House, Strand, WC2R 1LA. Nearest station: Temple. For more information, visit the Somerset House website.

• 7 – 10 September : ‘Ginema’ with Hayman’s

Hayman’s Gin are turning their distillery into a pop-up cinema. Sit in a beanbag and watch a classic movie while enjoying gin cocktails. Over 18s only. G&T reception at 7pm, film at 7.30pm. Tickets: £40 (includes screening, London Dry Gin popcorn, welcome G&T, two gin cocktails, £5 voucher for distillery tour). Hayman’s, 8A Weir Road, Balham, SW12 0GT. Nearest station: Balham. For more information, visit the Hayman’s website.

For a guide to what’s on in London in August, click here.

Find out where London’s urban beaches and lidos are this summer.

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