Going to the pictures in South London has, traditionally, been a rainy-day activity, however, slowly but surely, this perception is being chiseled away. How? Well, after much consultation with scientists it has been discovered that projecting a moving image upon a large screen outside can also be done in the UK. Due to the fickle weather of this country however, this activity is only really doable during the summer months and, thankfully, the kind, handsome, and talented residents of South London are spoilt for choice with regards to venues. We love you guys, and we love films, so to show you our love we’ve compiled what we think is a pretty exhaustive alphabetical guide to 18 outdoor cinema venues in South London. Enjoy.
battersea park (luna Cinema)
Luna Cinema are set to show three different films at Battersea Park this summer – La La Land, Jurassic Park, and Moulin Rouge. With ample parking, great transport links and the incredible backdrop of Battersea Power Station, we can think of few better venues in which to enjoy one of the great films on offer. You can buy tickets here.
If you’re looking for somewhere to drink beforehand the Mondo Brewing Company Tap House just down the road will be open before the Wednesday showing of Jurassic Park from 5-11, where you’re South London Club Card entitles you to 10% on one of their delicious beers. Find out more about the other great deals we have in the Battersea area here.
brixton beach, brixton rooftop (pop-up screens)
Having already proven to be one of South London’s most popular outdoor venues, Brixton Beach will be hosting a Pop-Up Screen from the end of July, through to September. The lineup is pretty spectacular as well, including Dirty Dancing, Anchorman, Pulp Fiction and Bridesmaids (to name a few) – you can get your tickets here.
To make a proper evening of it, there are plenty of establishments in Brixton where you can not only great grub, but great value as well when you bring you’re South London Club Card, you can find out more about these deals here. Fancy a burger? Try Fancy Funkin’ Chicken and get 15% off Sunday - Thursday, or SHHH! Burger Club & Bar where you get 10% off.
brockwell lido (luna cinema)
You would be forgiven for thinking that this one was too good to be true, but it isn’t. Luna Cinema are really showing films at the historic Brockwell Lido. What kind of films you ask? Jaws, Splash, and most obviously The Graduate. A premium ticket to one of their showings gets you your own dinghy in the pool, however, such is demand for these extra-special tickets that they’ve already sold out. Never fear though, standard tickets are still available for Splash and The Graduate, and you can get them here.
In need of somewhere to drink beforehand? Herne Hill is also home to some great establishments where your South London Club Card entitles you to solid reductions, like the First Aid Box Cocktail Bar where you can get 10% off purchases over £11. You can find out more about the deals in and around Herne Hill here.
bussey building, peckham (Rooftop Film Club)
Sitting pretty on top of the very popular Bussey Building, Rooftop Film Club have taken advantage of this great location and stuck an outdoor cinema up there. Rooftop Film Club have been at this for a while now, and you can be confident of a fantastic outdoor film experience as they provide wireless headphones to make sure you don’t miss any important lines. Check out their programme and buy tickets here.
There are plenty of restaurants and bars in Peckham where your South London Club Card entitles you to reductions, where you can enjoy a meal or a drink before the screening, like London Meatballs & Co where you get 15% off. You can find more of our great deals in Peckham here.
crystal palace park (luna cinema)
Though the Crystal Palace is long gone, Crystal Palace Park still remains, and for the third time, Luna Cinemas will be hosting screenings there. Their programme features three films – Fantastic Beasts And Where to Find Them, Mean Girls and Ghostbusters – and you can buy tickets for them here.
If you, like everyone else, are in need of some Nepalese food before or after the screening, you should try Gurkha Cottage, which is just down the road and where your South London Club Card gets you 10% food anytime. Your South London Club Card also entitles you to other great reductions in the Crystal Palace area, have a look here.
dulwich park (luna cinema)
Luna Cinema’s first ever venue, Dulwich Park is set to host two films this September – Casablanca and La La Land. With the screen positioned on the lawns in front of the Pavilion Café, these promise to be wonderful events, and you can buy your tickets here.
We’d recommend trying the Parlour if you’re looking for somewhere nearby to grab a bite and a drink, the food is excellent and you get 10% off food if you bring your South London Club Card. You can find out more about the great deals your South London Club Card entitles you to in the Dulwich area here.
general gordon square, woolwich (bp Big Screens)
In an attempt to take opera out of the confines of central London, and bring it to the masses, the Royal Opera House have partnered with BP to continue the Big Screens initiative they begun last year. Having already hosted a viewing of The Royal Ballet’s The Dream/Symphonic Variations/Marguerite and Armand on 7th June, General Gordon Square will be hosting two more viewings of two completely different performances. The events are completely free and you can check the programme out here.
greenwich park (luna cinema)
Tapping into Greenwich Park’s links to time and space, Luna Cinema will be showing Groundhog Day, Arrival, and Top Gun. Whether it’s laughs, gasps or just long conversations as to whether Tom Cruise’s performance in Top Gun is either the best, or second best plane-related acting performance of all time, the programme of screenings at Greenwich Park has something for everyone, and you can buy tickets here.
The Coach and Horses, which is a short walk from the park, has a great selection of ales, serves delicious food and your South London Club Card entitles you to 20% off food. You can find out more about the great deals we have on offer in Greenwich here.
greenwich peninsula park (pop-Up Screens)
In what we will dub the ‘Greenwich Outdoor Cinema Conflict of 2017’, Pop-Up Cinema have seen Luna Cinema hosting screenings at Greenwich Park and decided to strike back by hosting a single screening of Dirty Dancing in Greenwich Peninsula Park. If you're like us, you won't have known there was a Greenwich Peninsula Park, but there is, and it's right next to the Milleni - sorry - the O2. You can purchase tickets for the screening here.
hall place, bexley (luna cinema)
On paper, sticking a screen in the gardens of a Grade-1 listed house dating back to 1537 seems a pretty good idea, and it is hardly surprising to see the success Luna Cinema have had with the idea. Serving a pretty sizeable population of South East London, tickets for their screenings of Four Weddings and Jurassic Park are likely to sell out quickly, so get them here!
horniman museum & gardens, Forest HIll (luna cinema)
This year the Horniman Museum & Gardens are set to host an outdoor screen for the first time, meaning that Dulwich has not one, but two outdoor screens. Two! How many do you need Dulwich?! Anyway, they’ll be showing Slumdog Millionaire and The Jungle Book, and you can find tickets here.
Surely everyone loves Italian food? Okay, maybe not everyone, but if you do Piazza Della Cucina, just down the road in Forest Hill is the perfect spot for you to enjoy some grub before the screening, and if you bring you’re South London Club Card you get 10% off. We don’t just cover Italian restaurants though, and you can find out more about the great deals we have in Forest Hill here.
kennington park (pop-up Screens)
Having hosted a large screen for the Euros last year, Kennington Park will play host to a Pop-Up Screen to hopefully fill the terrible void left by the absence of an international tournament which England can unceremoniously crash out of. Instead of football however, they will be showing Grease, Dirty Dancing, and Mean Girls, a rather dramatic change, for which you can get tickets here.
There are some great independent businesses in and around Kennington where your South London Club Card entitles you to great reductions, you can find out more about them here.
lost format society cinema, croydon
Easily South London’s premier outdoor cinema in that it is actually a dedicated outdoor cinema rather than a venue hosting a screen, Lost Format Society Cinema deserves massive amounts of praise. Having started three years ago, on the top deck of the Centrale Car Park in the middle of Croydon, Lost Format Society have got one of the best lineups in all of London this summer. We strongly recommend Cinema Paradiso on 27th July, but you can find out what else they’ve screening here.
Obviously you’re going to be looking for some Brazilian food to enjoy beforehand, and South London Club has got you covered for that. Carioca is a wonderful Brazilian restaurant very close by, and your South London Club Card gets you 15% off Tuesday-Thursday. If you do fancy something a different then we’ve also got you covered, and you can find out more here.
morden hall park (luna cinema)
Serving the more southerly reaches of South West London, the screen at the much-loved Morden Hall Park is set to host three films this year – Labyrinth, Fantastic Beasts And Where to Find Them, and Pretty Woman. All showings are this week (!) and tickets are still available, so get them from here fast.
the scoop, london bridge (bp big screens + london Bridge city summer Festival)
Certainly one of the more unique venues on this list, The Scoop is set situated right in the heart of the London Bridge City Estate, next to City Hall (where Sadiq Khan lives). Like General Gordon Square, it will also be hosting viewings of Royal Opera House Performances, and is also free on a first come, first served basis, you can find out more here. Beyond opera, The Scoop will be hosting screenings of films like Bill + Ted’s Excellent Adventure as part of the London Bridge City Summer Festival, which you can find out more about here.
A great place for a bit of food and a drink nearby is The Mug House, where you get 10% off food with your South London Club Card. You can find out more about the deals we offer in the Borough and London Bridge area here.
tooting common (LUna Cinema)
Pitching up on one of South London’s largest open spaces, Luna Cinema will be screening Mean Girls and Dreamgirls, two classic films about girls, peer pressure, and racial tensions in 1960s American music. You can find tickets for these two screenings here.
wandsworth park (Luna Cinema)
Situated right next to the majestic River Thames, Wandsworth Park will play host to screenings of Love, Actually (one film) and Top Gun this year, you can get your tickets for them here.
You’re South London Club Card entitles you to plenty of great deals at some equally great independent businesses in Wandsworth, find out more here.
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