The Best Outdoor Cinema Screenings To Book This Summer

The imposing cobbles of Somerset House are a long-time favourite with location scouts searching for a convincing period backdrop; come August, the courtyard doubles up as one of London's most spectacular (and popular) outdoor cinemas. This year's line-up includes Christopher Nolan's Inception and recent Oscar favourite Call Me By Your Name (sadly, weather to rival that of Elio and Oliver's Italian summer can't be guaranteed…)New for 2018 is Behind the Screen with Grey Goose, a series of talks from some brilliant behind the scenes talents that delves into the stories and themes behind the films on this year's programme. The £10 ticket (on top of the screening price) also includes a cocktail and a priority spot in the courtyard. When: August 9th - August 22ndPrices from: TBC

This year, the Nomad's itinerant cinema will be making its way to a clutch of striking London venues, from the newly spruced-up Carpenters Road Lock in the Olympic Park to Grosvenor Square in well-heeled Mayfair and leafy Queen's Park. Standout screenings include Some Like It Hot against the backdrop of St Paul's Cathedral, or Disney's future classic Moana on the Saracens rugby pitch. If you needed persuading further, here's the kicker: all profits go to The Sustainability Institute, a pioneering development initiative based in rural South Africa.When: Until 26th OctoberPrices from: £7.50

There's usually something to please every cinephile's tastes on Pop Up Screens' eclectic line-up: last year's programme gave us the chance to re-visit our perennial style crush on Kate Hudson's Penny Lane with Almost Famous at Brixton's rooftop 'beach,' catch Disney's stunning re-boot of The Jungle Book or surreptitiously sing along with Mamma Mia! Summer dates are set to be announced shortly, and with 2017's screenings taking place in Fulham, Canada Water, Brixton, Kennington, Hither Green and Greenwich, South Londoners should sit up and take note (if you're based north of the river, there were events in Hammersmith and Bloomsbury too).When: TBCPrices from: TBC

Rooftop bar meets outdoor cinema is certainly a formula we can get behind, and one that's proved hugely successful for Rooftop Film Club. Since their debut event back in 2011, they've brought their unmissable screenings to three achingly cool London locations: Peckham's Bussey Building, Roof East in Stratford, Kensington Roof Gardens and Queen of Hoxton. This year's packed programme includes a celebration women in film, with screenings of Suffragette (followed by a pre-recorded Q&A with the director), Greta Gerwig's Lady Bird and other female-led projects, plus a chance to catch more recent indie hits like The Florida Project and Lady Macbeth if you missed them the first time around. When: 3rd May onwardsPrices from: £14.95

For an evening spent against the backdrop of one of the UK's most picturesque locations, look no further than the Luna Cinema's extensive line-up of summer screenings. 2018's programme more recent awards bait like Dunkirk, Get Out and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri sat alongside crowd-pleasing classics like Pretty Woman and Four Weddings and a Funeral (the latter is being screened at Westminster Abbey, a rather more grandiose location that any of the film's couples managed to stretch to…) New for 2018 is the Luna Beach Cinema on Brighton's seafront, which is showing Jaws, Paddington 2 and much more. When: 14th April until 7th OctoberPrices from: £13.50

OK, this one isn't strictly outdoors. After filling their now-permanent spot at Mercato Metropolitano in Elephant and Castle with tons of sand last summer to create an indoor 'beach,' Backyard Cinema are setting their sights higher with their Mission to Mars season, a celebration of science fiction on screen. Board the 'spaceship' to settle down into a beanbag and catch classics like The Fifth Element and Aliens or more recent hits like Star Wars: The Last Jedi or Blade Runner 2049. Don't rule it out if galaxies far, far away just aren't your thing: Dirty Dancing, Pixar's Coco and even Spice World all have a spot in the eclectic line-up. When: Until 6th MayPrices from: £17.50