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 2026.
Rooftop Cinema Club (formerly Rooftop Film Club) London: Peckham and Stratford
King of the summer cinema scene, Rooftop Film Club has had a rebrand for 2026, to become Rooftop Cinema Club. What hasn't changed is its remit to bring movie screenings to rooftops in Peckham (Bussey Building) and Stratford (Roof East).
RCC's winning formula involves mixing classics and perennial favourites (The Notebook, 10 Things I Hate About You, Pulp Fiction) with new releases (Wicked: For Good, Rental Family). Interstellar is screened to coincide with the rare Blue Moon on 31 May. Additionally, TV Watch Parties take place monthly, beginning with a Gossip Girl binge sesh in May, where three high-drama episodes are shown back to back. Take your place on the Met steps for that one...
There are well-stocked bars and carefully-selected food vendors (pizza plus a decent cocktail and beer menu in Peckham, and a selection of traders at Roof East in Stratford).
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. Both venues have a limited number of wheelchair spaces available, so make sure you book yours in advance if you need one.
Rooftop Cinema Club 2026. From 30 April at Bussey Building (Peckham) and 7 May at Roof East (Stratford). Schedules and tickets are released around a month at a time.
The open air picturehouse at Eltham Park South
New venture The Open Air Picture House makes its debut at the Eltham Park South Cafe with a family-friendly screening of Mrs Doubtfire on the Saturday of the early May bank holiday weekend. Food and drink will be available to buy on site, and the film is shown on a huge screen in the park.
The Open Air Picture House at Eltham Park South Cafe, 2 May 2026.
Summer Screens at Canary Wharf 2026
Sports fixtures such as Wimbledon are shown at Summer Screens in Canary Wharf, along with a selection of films, all free to watch, and shown on weekday evenings and weekends. The large screen pops up in Canada Square Park, with deckchairs and floor space available on a first come, first served basis. See the website for the full 2026 film schedule —which includes Wicked: For Good, Monsters Inc, Lilo & Stitch, Barbie, Wall-E, Grease and Babe — when available.
Summer Screens at Canary Wharf. Free, 4 June-1 September 2026.
Adventure Cinema 2026: Kew Gardens
Touring outdoor movie screen Adventure Cinema rattles around the UK at a whiplash-inducing rate, swinging through more than 50 locations 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 For Good
- Dirty Dancing
- Encanto Sing-A-Long
- Mamma Mia! ExtrABBAganza (with an ABBA disco and fancy dress)
- The Gruffalo/Stick Man (kid-friendly animation double bill)
- Pride & Prejudice (2005 film starring Keira Knightley)
- Jurassic Park
Hot food and snacks and a bar are available on site, though picnics are also welcome.
Adventure Cinema 2026. UK tour begins in May, but it comes to Kew Gardens 18-21 June 2026.
Lower Marsh Lates, Waterloo
Sing along to beloved musical films at open-air screenings while Lower Marsh in Waterloo is closed to traffic. Lower Marsh Lates usually take place on a few dates across the summer, but only one has been announced so far: Cool Runnings on 25 June.
Local businesses offer food and drink deals throughout the evening, and the screening is free entry (you'll want to get down there in plenty of time to grab yourself a deckchair). Keep an eye on the We Are Waterloo website for other screenings when they're announced.
Lower Marsh Lates, FREE, 25 June 2026
Everyman on the Canal 2026, King's Cross
The steps alongside the canal at Granary Square are once again home to Everyman on the Canal, an open-air cinema screen offering free screenings of popular and cult classic films, as well as sports including Wimbledon. Exact programme to be revealed on the website closer to the time, but it'll include Grease, The Devil Wears Prada and Paddington in Peru, on a screen decorated by local King's Cross artist and UAL Central Saint Martins graduate, Alice Wilson.
Everyman on the Canal. Free, 29 June-16 August 2026.
Vauxhall Summer Screens 2026 at Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens
For the 13th 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) with food vendors and bars popping up on site. Otherwise, pack a picnic and blanket to watch Zootropolis (7 July), Cool Runnings (14 July), Clueless (21 July) and Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (28 July).
Vauxhall Summer Screens 2026, 7-28 July 2026
Barbican Outdoor Cinema 2026
Over 11 nights in 2025, Barbican screens films in its open air Sculpture Court, surrounded by the estate's Brutalist architecture, with food stalls and bars popping up alongside. Think more cult classics than new releases, with exact titles TBC.
Barbican Outdoor Cinema, 20-30 August 2026.
The below events happened in London last summer. We're very much hoping they'll be back for summer 2026, and will update this page as soon as we know more.
Summer by the River
Annual open-air festival Summer By The River usually plays out at 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 (think Mufasa: The Lion King, Paddington in Peru, Despicable Me 4, Wicked Singalong, Moana 2, Ghostbusters).
Last year was free entry on a first-come, first-served basis, with pop-up bars and food stalls nearby.
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 usually includes daily outdoor cinema screenings, as well as Wimbledon matches. Last year saw: 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 open throughout, and seating is on the grass, on a first come, first served basis.
BST Hyde Park Open House, selected dates.
Also look out for...
The following venues have hosted outdoor cinemas in previous years. Nothing announced yet, but keep an eye on their websites. We'll 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)
