Now that summer’s here, we look forward to lots of outdoor time, and that includes summer nights outside on a blanket under the stars! Outdoor movie nights are such fun ways to get together as a family (and as a community) and enjoy a movie in a relaxed setting. If you’re anything like us and barely get to the movie theater anymore, this is a great way to see some new movies too!

 

Note that not all movies are exactly kid-friendly, so be sure to check our lists and plan accordingly. Most of these events are free– we have indicated where paid tickets are required. Check back throughout the summer– we’ll add more as they are announced!

Bartram’s Garden Family Outdoor Movie Nights

Select Friday nights at dusk
5400 Lindbergh Blvd.

 

These free outdoor monthly family movie nights also include free popcorn, lemonade, and water. Come early for a family tour of the gardens!

 

May 24: Hotel Transylvania 3
June 14: Bumblebee

August 9: Peter Rabbit
September 20: Captain Marvel

Mt. Airy Moonlight Movies

Last Fridays and Saturdays, movies begin at sunset
Lovett Park (6945 Germantown Ave.) or Pleasant Playground (6757 Chew Ave.) on Fridays; Trolley Car Diner (7619 Germantown Ave.) on Saturdays

 

Come early on Fridays because storytime and food trucks start at 6:30 pm. Saturday nights will take place at Trolley Car Diner, so grab some dinner and ice cream before the show!

 

May 25: The Secret Life of Pets at Trolley Car Diner

May 31: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse at Lovett Park

June 28: The Princess and the Frog at Pleasant Playground

June 29: The Jungle Book (2016) at Trolley Car Diner

July 26: Babe at Lovett Park

July 27: Zootopia at Trolley Car Diner

August 30: Dumbo (2019) at Pleasant Playground

August 31: Paddington at Trolley Car Diner

September 27: Avengers: Endgame at Lovett Park

Movies in the Park

Thanks to grants from Fairmount Park Conservancy, neighborhood parks around the city will be transformed into outdoor movie theaters on summer nights. Featured movies include recent box office hits like Captain Marvel and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Movies are BYOB (Bring Your Own Blanket) and begin at dusk. In case of rain, movies will be rescheduled by one week. See below for the park-by-park schedule:

 

June 6: Up at Pleasant Hill Park

June 19: Avengers: Infinity War at Woodside Park

June 20: Minions at Loudon Park

June 22: Inside Out at Columbus Square

June 24: Avengers: Infinity War at Triangle Park

July 10: A Wrinkle in Time at Penn Treaty Park

July 19: Big Hero 6 at Overington Park

July 31: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse at Mifflin Square Park

August 2: Inside Out at Hart Park

August 2: Star Wars: The Force Awakens at Upper Roxborough Reservoir Preserve

August 8: Christopher Robin at Inn Yard Park

August 15: A Bug’s Life at Fisher Park

August 29: Hugo at Matthias Baldwin Park

September 13: Coco  at Palmer Park (Fishtown)

September 13: Captain Marvel at Coxe Park

September 14: Mary Poppins Returns at Shot Tower Park

October 4: Maleficent at Powers Park

First Friday Movies Under the Stars and Stripes

First Friday of the month, from June—October
Betsy Ross House, 239 Arch St.

 

Enjoy $5 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, so maybe leave very small kids at home (but older kids will probably get a kick out of the kitsch). Movies start after sundown, so as it gets to be fall they begin earlier in the night. Check the website for showtimes.

 

June 7: Robot Monster
July 5: War of the Colossal Beast
August 2: Revenge of the Creature
September 6: Them
October 4: Bucket of Blood and Night of the Living Dead

Movies at DiSilvestro Park

June 14 and July 12, 8:30 pm

1701 S. 15th St.

 

June 14: Trolls

July 12: Black Panther

Movies @ The Mann

June 15, July 20 and 26, and August 15; 8 pm
Mann Center for the Performing Arts, 5201 Parkside Ave.

 

The “Movies @ The Mann” series is truly a unique entry in this list, because it pairs an outdoor movie experience with a live orchestra performance. While you watch the film, the orchestra performs the score! Bring a picnic and the whole family! Note that these are not free, but they are worth it! Ticket purchase site is linked for each title.

 

June 15: Raiders of the Lost Ark

July 20: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

July 26: Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back

August 15: Grease

 

La Peg’s Louis Bluver Outdoor Movie Series

Wednesdays from June—August, 8:30 pm
Haas Biergarten underneath the Ben Franklin Bridge

 

For this summer’s movie series, favorites from the 80s and 90s reign supreme. A lot of these are decidedly not for littles, but write down July 10 right now because it’s Space Jam!  There’s also food available on site, and for grown-ups, each movie will be paired with a special cocktail you can buy at the outdoor bar!

 

June 12: High Fidelity
June 19: Pretty in Pink
June 26: Empire Records
July 10: Space Jam
July 17: She’s All That
July 24: Cruel Intentions
July 31: Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion
August 7: Working Girl
August 14: Dumb and Dumber
August 21: Raising Arizona

Schuylkill Banks

Thursdays at 8:30 pm
Walnut Street Bridge or Wharton Street, depending on the date

 

The Schuylkill Banks will host 10 movie nights by the river. From new releases like  Captain Marvel to classics like A League of Their Own, they have a whole range of films. Note that not all the selections are exactly kid-favorites. Some screenings take place on the east (South Philly) side of the Schuylkill by Wharton Street, while others will be under the Walnut Street Bridge. See their schedule for details.

 

June 13: Romancing the Stone
June 20: The Karate Kid
June 27: American Graffiti
July 11: Fantastic Mr. Fox
July 18: Disney’s Robin Hood
July 25: Sing
August 1: Green Book
August 8: Crazy Rich Asians
August 15: Captain Marvel
August 22: A League of Their Own

 Manayunk Stroll the Street

Select Thursdays from June—August, 5—9:30 pm
Main Street, Manayunk

 

On Thursday nights this summer, Manayunk throws a weekly summer block party with food trucks, activities, specials at local shops, and more. Certain weeks include a movie too!

 

June 13: Black Panther

July 11: Rocky

August 8: The Goonies

Riverfront North’s Free Outdoor Movie Nights

Select Thursdays from June 20–September 19
Various locations on Riverfront North (see listings below)

 

All movies will start at sundown and various kids activities will be run prior to the start of the films. Bring your own blankets, chairs, and food.

 

June 20: Goosebumps at Pennypack on the Delaware, 7801 State Rd.

July 18: Brave at Pleasant Hill Park, 8900 N. Delaware Ave.

August 15: The Goonies at Pennypack on the Delaware, 7801 State Rd.

September 19: The Avengers: Infinity War at Bridesburg Rec, 4601 Richmond St.

Laurel Hill’s Cinema in the Cemetery

June 28, July 26, August 21, and September 13 at sundown (see times listed below)

3822 Ridge Avenue

 

New for this year, Laurel Hill Cemetery is showing four spooky stories on their historic grounds. Tickets are $12 per person and are available online and at the door. Gates open one hour before showtime.

 

June 28, 9 pm: Young Frankenstein

July 26, 9 pm: Coco

August 21, 8:30 pm: Beetlejuice

September 13, 8 pm: Gremlins

Wawa Welcome America’s Philly @ The Movies

June 30–July 3, 7 pm (Activities start at 5:30 pm)
Various locations (see listings below)

 

As part of the week-long Welcome America July Fourth celebration, there will be free movies around town for four nights in a row. Before the movies, there will be fun activities—for example, before Rocky, a look-alike competition for the best Rocky (and Creed) impersonator!

 

June 30: Rocky on the Steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2600 Benjamin Franklin Parkway
July 1: Invincible at Franklin Field, 33rd and Spruce streets
July 2: Shrek at 1500 Pattison Avenue and South Broad Street

July 3: Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom at Mander Playground, 2140 N. 33rd St.

Penn’s Landing Screenings Under the Stars

Thursdays in July, 8:30 pm; in August, 8 pm
Great Plaza at Penn’s Landing

 

Every Thursday night in July and August, a different film will be screened outdoors on a big screen at Penn’s Landing for free. Movies range from recent blockbusters to the 90s classic Clueless.

July 11: Captain Marvel

July 18: Crazy Rich Asians

July 25: Creed 2

August 1: Fighting With My Family

August 8: Clueless

August 15: Aquaman

August 22: Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse

August 29: Incredibles 2

Dilworth Park’s Pictures in the Park

Fridays from July 19–August 23, 8:30 pm
1 S. 15th St.

 

Every Friday night this season, Marvel: Universe of Super Heroes at the Franklin Institute will sponsor a lineup of superhero smash-hits and fantastic fantasies. Free popcorn while supplies last, plus the Dilworth Park Café will also be stocked with snacks for an additional cost (and adult beverages). Be sure to come early for movie trivia curated by the Philadelphia Film Society. This BYO blanket event is free for all ages.

 

July 19: Captain Marvel

July 26: Solo: A Star Wars Story

August 2: Black Panther

August 9: Creed II

August 16: Avengers: Infinity War

August 23: Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald

Chestnut Hill Movies Under the Stars

August 2, 9, 16, and 23; 8 pm (Food trucks at 7 pm)
The Water Tower Recreation Center Field, 209 E. Hartwell Lane

 

Enjoy popular films on the lawn of the Water Tower Recreation Center projected from a 28-foot screen. Bring your family, friends, blankets, and lawn chairs.

 

August 2: Wonder Woman (2017)
August 9: Wonder Park
August 16: Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
August 23: Avengers: Endgame

Super Movie Saturdays

Saturdays, 8:30 pm

Franklin Square, Sixth and Race streets

 

Free screenings begin at approximately 8:30 pm, but come early to buy some movie snacks at the square! Every week will be a superhero movie:

 

August 3: Superman

August 10: Shazam!

August 17: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

August 24: The Incredibles

August 31: Wonder Woman

 Movies in Clark Park

Fridays from August 9–30, sundown
4300-4398 Baltimore Ave.

 

The park will transform into an outdoor amphitheater to showcase a great lineup of films projected on a giant screen. Families can enjoy food and dessert offerings from a rotating list of vendors, beginning around 6 pm, as well as extra activities and promotions before the screenings.

 

August 9: Solo: A Star Wars Story
August 16: Crazy Rich Asians 
August 23: Creed II
August 30: Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse

 

 

 

Photograph courtesy of Visit Philadelphia.