Rooftop Film Club – Peckham and Stratford
The open-air cinema scene, if you can call it that, has largely been a sporadic affair in London over the past decade, no thanks to the vagaries of the British weather – but more recently, Rooftop Film Club has emerged as a bar-setter of the event genre. It delivers top-notch screenings to two spaces: the Bussey Building in Peckham and Roof East in Stratford, both boasting amazing views and great hospitality. The Peckham venue has a rather snazzy LED screen, so there are no problems watching films before the sun has gone down either. It’s also dog-friendly and regularly screens flicks that you and your pooch can enjoy together.
Adventure Cinema – Osterley Park and House
If you want to breathe in fresh air and feel like you’ve escaped London without actually breaching the urban perimeter, then Adventure Cinema at Osterley Park has your name all over it. Set within one of London’s most picturesque green spaces, Osterley House is a Grade I-listed mansion that was originally built as a country retreat back in the 18th century, and provides a splendid backdrop to this summer’s upbeat screenings of Mamma Mia!, Pretty Woman and Back to the Future, as well as a raucous Greatest Showman sing-a-long. This is definitely our pick of the bunch if you have kids.
Outdoor Cinema – the Barbican
The modernist marvel that is the Barbican once again brings its Outdoor Cinema series to its Brutalist concrete gardens amid the Sculpture Court. Typically for the Barbican, the season has been carefully curated for discerning cineastes, with classics such as Ingmar Bergman’s Wild Strawberries showing alongside the incredible Prince concert Sign O’the Times. Running from Wed 21 Aug until Sun 1 Sep 2024 and boasting a smörgåsbord of street-food vendors from the likes of Copper Rattle and Toum & Tahini, it’s most definitely one of the best spots in London to chill out in front of the big screen.
Summer by the River – London Bridge
With the iconic Tower Bridge lit up in the background, the open-air festival Summer by the River at London Bridge City is a fantastic venue for post-work screenings on Tuesday nights. The cinema is hosted in The Scoop, a concrete amphitheatre with enough space to squeeze in around 1,000 people, but you’ll need to get there nice and early because it’s free and fills up quickly. There are pop-up bars and street-food vendors throughout the festival area. And if you don’t have time to watch a film, you can still grab a beer and watch highlights from some of this summer’s biggest sporting events.
Everyman on the Canal – King’s Cross
Another superb free option, Screen on the Canal can be found at Granary Square in King’s Cross. Audiences perch themselves on the steps of the canal while the screen floats on the water. Novel. This season’s programme sees the likes of Aftersun, Dune: Part Two and Bob Marley: One Love being aired, as well as a special screening of The Lord of The Rings trilogy for those with the bum muscles to take sitting down that long. Cushions advised!
Picturehouse Outdoor Cinema – Acton and Greenwich
The luxury cinema chain Picturehouse has two excellent open-air venues this summer season in London, but only for a brief period of time. At Gunnersbury Park in Acton, the cinema is running from 19-21 July, while in the Greenwich Peninsula the dates are slightly longer, from 26 July until 4 August. Some proverbial bangers are up on the screens this season, with the likes of Barbie, La La Land and Jaws raising the non-existent roof. Tickets have the added bonus of coming with a £5 food and drink voucher, while deckchairs come on a first-come-first-served basis, so make sure you get there nice and early.
Ryan Thompson is a UK-based menswear and lifestyle writer whose work has appeared in, among others, the Financial Times, Mr Porter, The Rake and Ape to Gentleman
