Where to Watch Free Outdoor Movies in Philadelphia This Summer

Grab a blanket and catch al fresco showings of old favorites, new favorites, and lots of Super Mario.

outdoor movies philadelphia

Watch free outdoor movies all over Philly this summer. / Photograph by J. Fusco for Visit Philadelphia

When it comes to free outdoor flicks, you have a lot of options this summer. So dust off your blanket, pack some snacks and find a sweet spot to sprawl out.

Fairmount Park Conservancy’s Movies in the Park

Neighborhood parks all around the city will be transformed into outdoor movie theaters all summer long, with plenty of family-friendly picks (including lots of Super Mario and the gang). Movies are BYOB (Bring Your Own Blanket) and begin at dusk. See below for the park-by-park schedule:

  • June 24th: The Super Mario Bros Movie at Woodside Park
  • June 28th: The Super Mario Bros Movie at Connell Park
  • June 30th: The Super Mario Bros Movie at 3rd & Norris Playground
  • July 1st: The Super Mario Bros Movie at Elmwood Park
  • July 7th: Shazam! Fury of the Gods at Triangle Park
  • July 15th: Mummies at Cliveden Park
  • July 20th: Cruella at Inn Yard Park
  • July 21st: Goonies at Historic Rittenhouse Town
  • July 22nd: Shazam! Fury of the Gods at Lanier Park
  • July 26th: Encanto at Hagert Playground
  • July 28th: The Super Mario Bros Movie at Dickinson Square
  • July 28th: Encanto at Fisher Park
  • August 9th: Back to the Future at Matthias Baldwin Park
  • August 16th: Puss in Boots at Rainbow de Colores Park
  • August 17th: Encanto at Williams Moore Reed Memorial Park
  • August 18th: The Super Mario Bros Movie at Mifflin Square Park
  • August 19th: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever at Hart Park
  • August 19th: Clifford the Big Red Dog at Hissey Playground
  • August 23rd: Dungeons & Dragons at Palmer Park
  • August 24th: The Lorax at Pop’s Park
  • August 25th: Luca at Fernhill Park
  • August 26th: The Super Mario Bros Movie at McMichael Park
  • September 8th: The Croods: A New Age at Shot Tower Park
  • September 9th: The Super Mario Bros Movie at Powers Park
  • September 15th: The Super Mario Bros Movie at Columbus Square
  • September 16th: Back to the Future at Penn Treaty Park
  • September 21st: Dungeons & Dragons at Coxe Park
  • September 22nd: The Woman King at Benson Park
  • September 23rd: Shazam! at Northwood Park
  • September 29th: TBD at Fairview Park
  • September 30th: The Super Mario Bros Movie at Campbell Square Park
  • October 20th: The Super Mario Bros Movie at the Spring Gardens

PFS Movies on the Block

Philadelphia Film Society’s a free summer screening program returns, with three screenings in the city (and one in Chester). Each screening includes pre-movie activities, performances, educational demonstrations and more.

  • June 24th, 8:30 p.m.: 12 o’Clock Boys at Frankford Pause Park. (Come at 6 p.m. for free snacks and games.)
  • July 14th, 8:30 p.m.: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever at Duo Taco and Bowls in Chester (Come early for musical performances.)
  • July 22nd, 8:30 p.m.: Luca at The Lighthouse (101 East Erie Avenue) (Come early for DJ music and a bounce house.)
  • August 4th, 8:30 p.m.: The Lorax at CHOP Karabots (Come at 6 p.m. for free face-painting and games.)

Sunset Social
Wednesdays, 7 p.m.; 129 South 30th Street

Ride the elevator to the top of the city, and gather on Cira Green for a free movie night with a view. Movies begin at 7 p.m. Food and drink are available on site. Dogs are welcome. Bonus: Come Saturday afternoons for cartoons and more family-friendly movies on the big screen! The movies are announced monthly, so check their site for more of the lineup as it comes.

  • June 28th: Minions: The Rise of Gru
  • July 5th: Jurassic World: Dominion
  • July 12th: The Batman
  • July 19th: 007: Casino Royale
  • July 26th: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
  • August 2nd: Fast and Furious: Fast X
  • August 9th: Spider-Man: No Way Home
  • August 16th: Back to the Future
  • August 23rd: Encanto
  • August 30th: Space Jam: A New Legacy
  • September 6th: Thor: Love and Thunder
  • September 13th: Top Gun: Maverick

Schuylkill Banks Movie Nights
Thursdays, 8:30 p.m. through July 20th; slightly earlier after that. Some screenings take place on Grays Ferry Crescent, while others will be just north of the Walnut Street Bridge. See schedule for details.

This popular Thursday-night series gets points for ambiance, setting up its big screen in a serene little spot near the Schuylkill River. Bring your own blanket and snacks, and come early to stake out your spot and watch the sunset.

  • June 29th: The Grand Budapest Hotel
  • July 13th: Father Goose
  • July 20th: Zootopia
  • July 27th: Toy Story
  • August 3rd: Almost Famous
  • August 10th: Blast From the Past
  • August 17th: Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
  • August 24th: Bringing Up Baby

Frankford Pause Park Movie Nights
Select Fridays, 7 p.m., Pause Park, 4671 Paul Street

Bring your own blanket or chair for monthly outdoor movies in Frankford. Snacks will be available for purchase.

  • June 30th: Minions: The Rise of Gru
  • July 28th: I Wanna Dance with Somebody
  • August 18th: Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
  • September 1st: Vivo
  • October 20th: Hotel Transylvania: Transformania

Movies @ FringeArts
Wednesdays, 8 p.m.; Haas Biergarten, FringeArts, 140 North Columbus Boulevard

La Peg’s Wednesday-night movie series lets you sip a beer and watch an old favorite, plus play movie-themed quizzo! There’s on-site food and drinks, so no outside snacks are allowed. This year’s series has the theme “Game of Love,” and all movies are sports-themed. If it rains, the screening moves indoors to the new Fringe Bar.

  • July 5th: Creed
  • July 12th: Bend it Like Beckham
  • July 19th: Jerry Maguire
  • July 26th: Love & Basketball
  • August 2: Bring it On

The Oval
Select Fridays, dusk; Eakins Oval.

Grab a blanket and gather around the big screen at the Parkway’s summertime pop-up park. Food and drink will be available for purchase (including the beer garden by MilkBoy with treats from Forîn Cafe). Movies begin at dusk.

  • July 14th: The Super Mario Bros Movie
  • July 28th: Jungle Cruise
  • August 11th: Encanto
  • August 18th: Grease

The Lawn at uCity Square
Select Saturdays, 8 p.m.; 37th and Filbert streets.

This summer, the Lawn is taking it back to the 2000s with its movie lineup. So pack a picnic and blanket to relive that decade of film.

  • July 15th: Dreamgirls
  • August 19th: Save the Last Dance
  • September 16th: Bring It On
  • October 21st: The Fast and the Furious

Mount Airy Moonlight Movie
July 28th, 8:30 p.m. at Lovett Park, 6945 Germantown Avenue.

Bring your family, friends, blankets, and lawn chairs. This year, Mount Airy and collaborators ROOT Ritual Dance Movement and Outlaw Arts are hosting a single Moonlight Movie for the 2023 season: Summer of Soul on July 28th. The movie begins at sunset but come early for for musical performances and other activities beginning at 7:30 p.m.

Movies in Clark Park
Fridays in August at sundown; Clark Park, 4300 Baltimore Avenue

On Friday nights in August, bring your own blankets and gather in West Philly’s main quad.

  • August 4th: Raiders of the Lost Ark
  • August 11th: Encanto
  • August 18th: King Richard
  • August 25th: Top Gun: Maverick

Bartram’s Garden Family Movie Nights
July 21st and August 25th, 8 p.m., 3000 South 56th Street

Before the screening, there will be community biking along the Bartram’s Mile Trail with the Bicycle Coalition from 3 to 6 p.m. No bike? No problem: You can rent one for free at the garden’s bike container. They’ve got more free pre-movie activities planned, too:

  • July 21st: Creed III. Before the movie, there will be a mask-making workshop with Sistah Mafalda at 7 p.m.
  • August 25th: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Before the movie, there will be a free Afrobeats dance class with Mr. AfrVbz.

Pictures in the Park 
Fridays in September at 7 p.m.; Sister Cities Park, 210 North 18th Street

Child wonderland Sister Cities Park will run animated films on the big screen on Friday nights thsi year. Sister Cities Café will be open late selling snacks (plus beer, wine and cocktails for adults). Plus, kids ages 12 and under can grab a “movie passport” to write their own reviews and get a stamp for each movie they attend. Bring your own blankets and chairs.

  • September 8th: Encanto
  • September 15th: DC League of Super-Pets
  • September 22nd: Minions: The Rise of Gru
  • September 29th: Puss in Boots: The Last Wish

3 More That Aren’t Free, But Are Worth It

Movies @ The Mann
The Movies @ The Mann series is truly a unique entry in this list, because it pairs an outdoor movie experience with a live Philadelphia Orchestra performance. While you watch the film, they perform the score! Tickets available online.

First Friday Movies Under the Stars and Stripes
First Fridays; Betsy Ross House, 239 Arch Street

Enjoy $8 admission, a tour of the Betsy Ross House, and a movie in the courtyard. Visitors are encouraged to arrive early, and bring food and a bottle of wine to watch the movie! The movies are all vintage sci-fi horror B-movies, and start after sundown, so they begin earlier in the night as the series goes on. Tickets available online.

  • July 7th: Not of this Earth
  • August 4th: Attack of the Giant Leeches
  • September 1st: War of the Satellites
  • October 6th: Night of the Living Dead

Outdoor Cinema Series at Laurel Hill Cemetery
Select Fridays, 8:30 p.m.; Laurel Hill East, 3822 Ridge Avenue

Pack a picnic and BYO blankets or lawn chairs for spooky movies in a historic cemetery, presented by Philadelphia Film Society and Friends of Laurel Hill. Tickets are $15 for general admission, with discounts for kids, seniors, students and members.