It wouldn't be summer in London without a flood of pop-up outdoor cinemas and rooftop film screenings. Whether you're hankering for classic flicks or the newest releases, check out where you can get your al fresco film fix in summer 2025.
Rooftop Film Club London 2025: Peckham and Stratford
King of the summer cinema scene, Rooftop Film Club brings screenings to rooftops in Peckham (Bussey Building) and Stratford (Roof East) again this year.
RFC's winning formula involves mixing classics and perennial favourites (Notting Hill, Dirty Dancing, Harry Potter, About Time, Pulp Fiction, The Dark Knight) with new releases (Wicked, Moana 2, Paddington in Peru). Additionally, TV Watch Parties take place monthly, beginning with a Friends binge sesh in April.
There are well-stocked bars and carefully-selected food vendors (pizza and traditional cinema snacks in Peckham, and a selection of traders at Roof East in Stratford). No rustling, please. New for 2025, Fireside Films take place in the chillier months of April, May, September and October — offering pairs of seats next to a wood-burning heater.
Both venues offer an LED screen, so films can be shown during the day as well as at sundown. This means more family-friendly daytime screenings at weekends and during school holidays. The Stratford venue has a 90s Kids Club happening on certain Saturdays throughout the summer, offering matinees including Babe, The Parent Trap and Toy Story.
Speaking of family, Peckham is a dog-friendly venue, with (well-behaved) canine companions welcome at all screenings (note that only assistance dogs are allowed at Roof East though).
Both venues have a limited number of wheelchair spaces available, so make sure you book yours in advance if you need one. There are also selected open captions screenings, where captions are shown throughout the film for the benefit of Deaf or hard of hearing cinema-goers.
Rooftop Film Club 2025. From 10 April at Bussey Building (Peckham) and 17 April at Roof East (Stratford). Schedules and tickets are released around a month at a time.
Summer Screens at Canary Wharf
Sports fixtures such as Wimbledon are shown at Summer Screens in Canary Wharf, along with a selection of films, all free to watch. The large screen pops up in Canada Square Park, with deckchairs and floor space available on a first come, first served basis. Keep an eye on the website for the 2025 schedule when announced.
Summer Screens 2025 at Canary Wharf. Free, 29 May-27 September 2025.
Summer by the River 2025
Annual open-air festival Summer By The River returns to London Bridge City (the stretch of South Bank between London Bridge and Tower Bridge). Among the many entertainment options are occasional free film screenings, predominantly (but not entirely) with a family-friendly angle: Mufasa: The Lion King, Paddington in Peru, Despicable Me 4, Wicked Singalong, Moana 2, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, and If have been announced so far.
It's free entry on a first-come, first-served basis, with pop-up bars and food stalls nearby.
Summer by the River 2025, from 29 May.
Adventure Cinema 2025: Kew Gardens
Touring outdoor movie screen Adventure Cinema rattles around the UK at a whiplash-inducing rate, swinging from Perth to Plymouth and, happily for Londoners, making a midsummer pitstop at Kew Gardens.
It's a fairly standard outdoor cinema set-up — bring your own picnic chair or blanket (unless you've splashed out for premium tickets) to watch classic films in verdant surroundings. The Kew programme includes the following films:
- Wicked Sing-A-Long
- Moana 2
- Mamma Mia! (with an ABBA disco before the screening)
- The Gruffalo/Stick Man (kid-friendly animation double bill)
- Andrea Bocelli 30 (a showing of Andrea Bocelli's 30th celebration concert, with music before the film)
- Bridget Jones' Diary
Hot food and snacks and a bar are available on site, though picnics are also welcome.
Adventure Cinema 2025. UK tour begins 23 May, but it comes to Kew Gardens 20-22 June 2025.
Lower Marsh Lates 2025, Waterloo
Sing along to beloved musical films, at open-air screenings while Lower Marsh in Waterloo is closed to traffic. Lower Marsh Lates take place on three dates this summer, with compere Hannah Maxwell offering free warm-up entertainment before the film starts. Local businesses offer food and drink deals throughout the evening, and the screening is free entry (so you'll want to get down there in plenty of time to gab yourself a deckchair. This year's picks? Mamma Mia!, Dirty Dancing and Grease.
Lower Marsh Lates, 26 June, 31 July and 28 August 2025.
Free film screenings at BST Hyde Park Open House
BST Hyde Park is a huge music festival with some serious impressive headliners, taking place across three weekends in June and July. But in the weekdays between the concerts, the festival site opens to everyone, whether you have a concert ticket or not, for free events and activities.
BST Open House includes daily outdoor cinema screenings, as well as showing Wimbledon matches. On the cinema programme: The Garfield Movie, Thelma, The Goonies, Wicked Singalong, The Fall Guy, Fly Me To The Moon, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, and Dune Part Two. Street food stalls and pop-up bars are open throughout, and seating is on the grass, on a first come, first served basis.
BST Hyde Park Open House, selected dates 30 June-10 July 2025.
Everyman on the Canal 2025, King's Cross
Once again the steps alongside the canal at Granary Square are home to Everyman on the Canal, an open-air cinema screen offering free screenings of popular and cult classic films. Full programme details haven't yet been announced (check back on the website), but we do know that artist Yinka Ilori MBE has been involved in designing this year's screen, so expect something rather colourful and eye-catching.
Everyman on the Canal 2025, free, 30 June-17 August 2025.
Vauxhall Summer Screens at Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens
For the 12th year, pop-up outdoor cinema Summer Screen comes to Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens, showing four films across four Tuesday evenings. The screenings are free (though donations are welcome) and you'll need to book tickets. Deckchairs are available for a fiver. Otherwise, pack a picnic and blanket to watch Aladdin (8 July), Jumanji (15 July), Mean Girls (22 July) and Sister Act II (29 July).
Vauxhall Summer Screens 2025, 8-29 July 2025.
Barbican Outdoor Cinema 2025
Over 11 nights, Barbican screens films in its open air Sculpture Court, surrounded by the estate's Brutalist archiecture, with food stalls and bars popping up alongside. Think more cult classics than new releases: the programme begins with sci-fi epic Dune, and also features Wes Anderson's Fantastic Mr Fox, early Studio Ghibli work Grave of the Fireflies, and Babymother, widely considered to be the first Black British musical.
Barbican Outdoor Cinema 2025, 20-31 August 2025.
Also look out for...
The following venues have hosted outdoor cinemas in previous years. Nothing announced for 2025 yet, but keep an eye on their websites. We will of course add more details to this article when we get them:
- Merchant Square in Paddington (usually offers free weekly screenings through the summer)
- Lyric Square Hammersmith (free film screenings as part of the Summer Festival)
