Best outdoor film screenings, London 2021

Pop Up Screens

London’s original pop-up cinema is returning this summer, spanning three months across eight London parks and open spaces. This includes North Greenwich, Hammersmith and the Guildhall. The venues boast a ‘relaxed atmosphere’ in which to enjoy many crowdpleasers including Jurassic Park, Dirty Dancing, and Rocketman.

The venues will also have bars and food from London's best street-food traders.

Rooftop Film Club

Rooftop Film Club has cooked up another season of outdoor venues in two picturesque locations.

At Stratford and Peckham, there are screenings from now until August: featuring both timeless classics (Dirty Dancing, Casablanca) and contemporary offerings (In The Heights, Nomadland). Rooftop also provide height-adjustable deckchairs and state-of-the-art wireless headphones to make the experience even more special.

Luna Cinema

Consider your summer evenings sorted, whether you're in London or not. Luna Cinema is coming to 50 locations nationwide this year; they're even bringing the first-ever cinema venue to the Sandringham Estate, the Queen's Norfolk home. The London locations range from the Old Naval College in Greenwich to Westminster Abbey.

There are plenty of titles rolling out this year, from recent sing-along hits like The Greatest Showman and A Star is Born to classic fantasy epics like Harry Potter and Star Wars.

Hideaway Cinema

Hideaway have special deals with studios, which allows them to screen recent releases like The Father, Space Jam: A New Legacy, and The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It. They’re also showing an eclectic array of classics like The Goonies and Cast Away, as well as modern musicals like In The Heights and La La Land.

The locations feature prominent parks across London, including Kew Gardens, Hampstead Heath and Hendon Park. Hideaway also provide a variety of food options like hot dogs, loaded nachos, retro pic 'n' mix and candy floss.

Backyard Cinema: LA Nights

Backyard Cinema's LA Nights recreates 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 has prepared a dazzling line-up of buzzy movies to enjoy – whether for a romantic night out, a day trip with the kids or a party with friends. Grease, Moana and Moonlight are all being featured.

On our visit, to watch Point Break, we felt truly transported to a surfer beach with the pre-film transatlantic flight mock-up, complete with dance moves on the safety instruction sheet in the seat pocket, and infectious dance routine from the crew, culminating in one attendant pushing another down the aisle on the drinks trolley. Clapping and cheering, and sipping drinks while wriggling our toes in the sand beneath our beanbag seats, it was a really feelgood film experience.

Openaire Float-In Cinema

Now, this looks like an event to remember. Openaire, in partnership with Häagen-Dazs, has created the UK’s first cinema experience by boat. Ticket-holders hop onto an eco-boat in Paddington Basin, which moves around Little Venice before mooring up to a 6x3m LED screen in Merchant Square. Audio is provided via sanitised headphones and all the usual cinema food is provided, as well as award-winning artisan pasta by chef RaviOllie. And, naturally, there’s Häagen-Dazs ice cream.

All the usual movies built for the big screen are showing, such as The Dark Knight, Moulin Rouge!, and Mamma Mia!. But the perfect film for this venue, coming at the end of Openaire’s run, is Steven Spielberg’s shark-hunting classic Jaws.