Ranking London's 2025 outdoor cinemas

London is quite the shadow of itself since its heyday of superb summer screening options. The Film 4 festival, which used to be an August fixture at the neoclassical Somerset House, closed its doors a few years ago. Luna Cinema, arguably the best outdoor cinema experience for quite some time, has gone radio silent this year. And Backyard Cinema has downsized to one indoor screening this season. While we might not have as many choices as we used to, there's still something special about watching a classic with a golden hour backdrop.

We rank the best outdoor screenings this year by experience, movie selections, venue, amenities and the small things that make it a memorable experience.

7. BST Hyde Park

Hyde Park, 30 June - 10 July

An 8-day fixture in July’s calendar is the British Summertime Hyde Park Open House programme. Situated in the top right corner, near Marble Arch, it’s a handy central meeting spot after work that’s entirely free and surrounded by a plethora of food vendors. If you work nearby, consider a lunch-time Wimbledon viewing, too.

However high footfall will often change Hyde Park’s green scenery to hay-like ground alongside the hollow space and metal caging that cordons off the space, leaving you lacking a feeling of intimacy you look for in an open-air screening.

6. Vauxhall Summer Screens

Vauxhall Summer Gardens, throughout July

Sandwiched in between the chaotic intersections of roads in Vauxhall, lies the Pleasure Gardens, holding screenings across July. Free, pet friendly and surrounded by food trucks, it’s a convenient spot for a mid-week rendezvous. Plus, if you don’t fancy carrying a camping chair with you on the tube, you can hire one for £5.

That being said, its selection of films are rather predictable. There’s only so many times you can re-watch Mean Girls before it feels like you’re being force fed. That and the very long truck holding up the screen with giant “summer screens” lettering etched below the film draw back the potential for a simple yet natural looking backdrop.

5. Canary Wharf Summer Screens

Canada Square Park, 29 May - 27 September

Summer Screens at Canary Wharf offers a diverse range of free screenings from movies to Wimbledon matches to Mario Kart game nights. Pop down the nearest Waitrose or a local bar for a drink and plop yourself for a respite if you’re nearby in the area.

However, Canary Wharf is not often a spot you think of when you’re chasing an idyllic backdrop. The reflective office buildings surrounding you make it feel like you’re in a spot of corporate-fun rather than an outdoor escape. Avoid peak hours!

4. Everyman in the Garden at The Grove

The Grove Hotel, 23 July - 7 September

Now we’re getting into the good stuff. I’m sure you’re familiar with the somewhat catastrophic, ‘Everyman on the Canal’ viewings last summer at Kings Cross where visitors recalled queuing for hours just to not get let in due to overcrowding. Luckily, we won’t be seeing that pack of sardines again. Instead, Everyman has decided to scale back to one venue, The Grove, London’s country retreat located in Hertfordshire. The five-star hotel is hosting a pop-up from 23rd July to 7th September with feel-good favourites, beanbags, fairy-lights and a lush, green backdrop.

The shortcomings? The screen could do with a size-up, you’re bound by headphones and you must be a hotel guest or dining with their special cinema package to watch along.

3. Barbican Outdoor Cinema 

The Barbican, throughout August

Step inside the brutalist icon this summer and you can find a range of screenings at The Sculpture Court, including concerts, classics and art-house cinema. Maybe you’ll find something you’ve never seen before. With food vendors and a good sized screen, it’s a quirky choice if you’re looking for something different. I would recommend heading down earlier to see the conservatory or an exhibition and making a full day out of it.

Whilst the brutalist scenery defines the uniqueness of this choice, it can also be its drawback. The Sculpture Court is one of the least greenest parts of The Barbican, lacking that nature/open air feel. And due to local noise regulations, viewers must sit in regimented rows of seats with headphones throughout the viewing. It’s a sight that resembles something out of Debord’s ‘Society of the Spectacle’, rows of people staring at one screen with blue LED headphones obstructing their side profiles. Quite ironic given this is The Barbican, home of mass consumer-critique and lovers of the Theory of the Dérive.

2. Rooftop Film Club

Bussey Building, Peckham, 10 April - 30 August

Take to the skies to get a sweet golden hour sundown. The Rooftop Film Club is one of the few remaining household names in the market. We recommend visiting the Peckham spot, located on top of the iconic Bussey Building, that gives you some of the best skyline views. Bring your own food or grab some popcorn there, you can expect flamingo murals and a warehouse style upon entering.

Whilst the sunset might be enough to sell you, Rooftop Film Club could do with a few tweaks to its style that take it from verging on tacky to more refined. Expect astro turf grass, circa 2015 floral backdrops and white roses that resemble a Kim Kardashian wedding inspired shisha bar. Screenings include the standard cliche of classics that you may have seen too many times and don’t expect too many luxuries here, amenities like free blankets make you wish you brought your own.

1. Adventure Cinema

Coming out on top, and by quite the margin, is Adventure Cinema. Whilst the main location is only at Kew Gardens this summer in London, we highly recommend taking a day out to nearby Hertfordshire and Surrey, less than an hour drive away. Expect heritage, listed buildings, breathtaking estates, grandeur and manicured gardens that take you out of the urban hustle and back in time to something enchanting and classical.

Bring your own food and alcohol or treat yourself to on-site hot food. Bring a blanket and lounge away or rent premium deck chairs. There are plenty of ad-ons, including a tote bag that comes with sharing snacks and a programme. These are the little things that par with the big ones (big hedges and even bigger buildings).