Best outdoor film screenings, London 2019

Rooftop Film Club

The team at Rooftop Film Club has cooked up another season of outdoor screenings across three alluring locations to rival even the most imaginative cinemas.

At Stratford and Peckham, there are screenings pretty much every day throughout June and July, featuring timeless classics (Dirty Dancing, Casablanca), contemporary offerings (Bohemian Rhapsody, Rocketman) and everything in between. Shoreditch hosts fewer screenings but the programme looks just as tantalising.

Luna Cinema

Consider your summer evenings sorted, whether you're in London or not. Luna Cinema is coming to over 60 venues nationwide this year, roughly half of which are in or around the capital, including Hampton Court Palace and Westminster Abbey.

There are plenty of films to pick from, but our picks nod to the sing-along hits of the past year including The Greatest Showman, A Star is Born and Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.

Stratford Summer Screen

Stratford Summer Screen offers a full programme of FREE outdoor entertainment throughout the summer, from live sports events and Royal Opera House performances to your favourite film screenings including kid-friendly releases like The Greatest Showman, Mary Poppins Returns and Dumbo. There's more family-friendly fun on offer with craft workshops and face painting, too.

Beach Club Cinema, Fulham Beach

Take a trip to the beach without leaving the big smoke – escapism extends to both sand and screen with Beach Club Cinema, offering immersive film nights every Tuesday for two months. There are cabanas, booths, daybeds and beach huts to choose from, not to mention a plentiful food and drinks menu.

On the off chance that bottomless popcorn (free with every ticket) doesn't leave you fully satisfied, each week's classic film screening is suited to a different taste, from Forgetting Sarah Marshall to Top Gun, making sure there's something for everyone.

Backyard Cinema: L.A. Nights, Roundhouse

Camden’s Roundhouse gets a major retro makeover this summer as L.A. Nights promises a season recreating the unmistakable Venice Beach. Pull up a beanbag on the sand, gaze up at the giant palm trees and savour an exotic cocktail amid the bohemian beachscape.

Backyard Cinema has prepared a dazzling line-up of buzzy titles to enjoy – whether for a romantic night out, a day trip with the kids or a party with friends. Revisit all the big awards contenders of the past year, with screenings of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, BlacKkKlansman and A Star Is Born, as well as older classics including Back to the Future and Grease.

Electric Pedals, Southbank Centre

For their season of Summer Film Nights, Southbank Centre has teamed up with Electric Pedals to give moviegoers a unique experience that asks for effort in return for rewards: hop on a bike, pedal away, and power the screening of your choosing.

Four glittering musicals are on the cards – revisit the monstrous good fun of Little Shop of Horrors or sink into the earnest romance of Moulin Rouge! while you pedal the night away. And best of all? Every screening is free.

Film4 Summer Screen, Somerset House

Described by Richard Curtis as ‘the dream of how watching movies is meant to be’, Film4 Summer Screen returns to Somerset House this year with a series of movies that will include the venue’s 200th screening. For the first time, audiences can choose and enhance their seating, adding to the experience with cosy beanbags as well as novelty director’s chairs.

Tickets and the full line-up are released in May; so far, we know to expect Clueless, Black Panther, God’s Own Country and This is England.