June 10, 2024
@SchuylkillBanks/Facebook
Free outdoor screenings at Schuylkill Banks (pictured above) and other parks are back for another year.
Dust off your favorite picnic blanket or lawn chair because it's outdoor movie season.
Every year once the evening temperatures warm, parks and other community spaces in Philadelphia put on screenings of blockbusters on the big screen. Some of the picks are recent animated hits for kids, while others are throwback comedies or action flicks where cars and planes careen off the highway in fiery explosions (yes, a "Fast and Furious" movie is in the mix). All are free to attend and generally start around sundown.
Not all of the regular spots have announced their 2024 schedules yet, and at least one — FringeArts — will sadly be skipping this season. But here's a list of outdoor movies to see for free, with more to come:
Cira Green is back in full swing for another season. In addition to silent discos, themed parties and brunches, the 1.2-acre rooftop park in University City offers free screenings on its 60-foot screen. On Wednesday nights, take the elevator up for a movie night — with bonus preshow games — starting at 7 p.m. Families can also catch kid-friendly matinees in the sunlight on Saturdays at noon. Dates with an asterisk include a costume contest with prizes:
Wednesday, June 12 - "Fast X"
Saturday, June 15 - "TMNT: Mutant Mayhem"
Wednesday, June 19 - "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby"
Saturday, June 22 - "Sing 2"*
Wednesday, June 26 - "Hunger Games: Catching Fire"
Saturday, June 29 - "Boss Baby"
Wednesday, July 3 - "Top Gun Maverick"
Saturday, July 6 - "Zootopia"
Wednesday, July 10 - "Barbie"*
Saturday, July 13 - "Luca"
Wednesday, July 17 - "Dune 2"
Saturday, July 20 - "Trolls Band Together"*
Wednesday, July 24 - "Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse"*
Saturday, July 27 - "Brave"
Wednesday, July 31 - "Mean Girls" (2024)
Saturday, Aug. 3 - "The Lego Movie"
Wednesday, Aug. 7 - "Star Wars: The Force Awakens"*
Saturday, Aug. 10 - "Spirited Away"
Wednesday, Aug. 14 - "Wonka"
Saturday, Aug. 17 - "Fern Gully"
Wednesday, Aug. 21 - "Back to the Future"
Saturday, Aug. 24 - "Finding Nemo"*
Wednesday, Aug. 28 - "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire"*
Saturday, Aug. 31 - "Orion and the Dark"
Wednesday, Sept. 4 - "Transformers: Rise of the Beasts"
Saturday, Sept. 7 - "Cars"
Wednesday, Sept. 11 - "Invincible"
Saturday, Sept. 14 - "Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken"
Wednesday, Sept. 18 - "Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire"*
Saturday, Sept. 21 - "Kung Fu Panda 4"
Wednesday, Sept. 25 - "Haunted Mansion"
Saturday, Sept. 28 - "Frozen"*
There's no set location for the Philadelphia Film Society's summer screenings, and for good reason. Movies on the Block travels to neighborhoods that do not have movie theaters, partnering with community groups to program a free evening of entertainment. Registration is required for the first event at the Lighthouse Sports Complex in North Philadelphia, which will offer games and snacks ahead of its 8:15 p.m. showing of "Space Jam: A New Legacy."
Friday, June 21 - "Space Jam: A New Legacy" at Lighthouse Sports Complex
Friday, July 21 - "Creed" at Awbury Rec
Friday, July 26 - "Men in Black" at Smith Playground
Saturday, Aug. 17 - "42" at FDR Park
Friday, Aug. 30 - "Sing" at Stenton Museum
For 10 nights this summer, a giant inflatable screen will rise on the riverside Schuylkill Banks park. The movies start at sunset on Thursday nights, either at the grassy section north of Walnut Street Bridge or Grays Ferry Crescent Esplanade (accessible via the Wharton Street entrance). Dates are subject to change in case of rain, so keep an eye on the park's site for any postponements:
Thursday, June 13 - "King Kong" (1933)
Thursday, June 20 - "Keanu"
Thursday, June 27 - "Big"
Thursday, July 11 - "Little Miss Sunshine"
Thursday, July 18 - "Mulan"
Thursday, July 25 - "50 First Dates"
Thursday, Aug. 1 - "Akeelah and the Bee"
Thursday, Aug. 8 - "Dave"
Thursday, Aug. 15 - "Wonka"
Thursday, Aug. 22 - "Barbie"
The outdoor movie nights at Clark Park, presented by cinéSPEAK, tend to start earlier in the season than the rest of the city series. That means the bulk of their Friday night showings have already passed, but there's still time to catch "OKTHANKSBYE." The Dutch film follows two young deaf students who embark on a solo journey to Paris. It begins at 9 p.m. at the Bowl at Clark Park following DJ sets at 7 p.m. While the screening if free, registration is required.
Friday, June 14 – "OKTHANKSBYE"
Luckily, Clark Park's other movie series arrives in August. University City District will present three more free screenings on the first three Fridays of the month — with Saturday, Aug. 17, as a backup date for any rained-out showings. All movies will include closed captioning, and begin at roughly 8:15 p.m.
Friday, Aug. 2 - "Men in Black"
Friday, Aug. 9 - "Barbie"
Friday, Aug. 16 - "Wonka"
The Mount Airy CDC will host a free screening featuring a native to the neighborhood. The group's "moonlight movie" for the season is "The Holdovers," the black comedy set in a 1970s New England prep school at Christmas. Da'Vine Joy Randolph, who spent her early years in Mount Airy, won an Oscar for her performance in the film. It will screen on the lawn of the NewCourtland senior home at 6950 Germantown Ave. on July 26 at sunset. Food and drinks from Sheree’s Home Cooking and Frios Popsicles will be available for purchase.
Friday, July 26 - "The Holdovers"
Another 37 Philadelphia parks will turn into movie theaters for a night. Park Friends Movie Nights begin at dusk and are organized by local community groups, with support from Parks & Rec and the Fairmount Park Conservancy. Any scheduling changes will be posted to the designated park "friends" group, which can be found with this locator tool.
Thursday, June 20 - "Haunted Mansion" at Loudoun Park
Wednesday, July 3 - "Trolls Band Together" at Elmwood Park
Wednesday, July 10 - "Elemental" at Dickinson Square Park
Saturday, July 20 - "Lion King" (1994) at Vernon Park
Saturday, July 20 - "Megamind" at Benson Park
Thursday, July 25 - "Kung Fu Panda 4" at Hagert Square Playground
Thursday, Aug. 8 - "Jaws" at Historic Rittenhouse Town
Thursday, Aug. 8 - "Kung Fu Panda 4" at Mifflin Square Park
Saturday, Aug. 10 - "Wish" at Thomas Hart Park
Saturday, Aug. 10 - "Barbie" at McMichael Park
Wednesday, Aug. 14 - "Back to the Future" at Matthias Baldwin Park
Thursday, Aug. 15 - "Transformers: Rise of the Beasts" at Triangle Park
Thursday, Aug. 15 - "Wish" at Williams Moore Reed Memorial Park
Thursday, Aug. 15 - "Kung Fu Panda" at Rainbow de Colores Park
Saturday, Aug. 17 - "Kung Fu Panda 4" at 3rd & Norris Playground
Thursday, Aug. 22 - "Madame Web" at Hissey Playground
Saturday, Aug. 24 - "The Marvels" at Cliveden Park
Saturday, Aug. 24 - "Elemental" at Suffolk Park
Wednesday, Aug. 28 - TBD at Fotterall Square
Wednesday, Aug. 28 - "Wonka" at Inn Yard Park
Saturday, Aug. 31 - "The NeverEnding Story" at Penn Treaty Park
Friday, Sept. 6 - "Shrek" at Carpenter Green Park
Wednesday, Sept. 11 - "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom" at Lanier Park
Friday, Sept. 13 - "Elemental" at Palmer Park
Saturday, Sept. 14 - "Kung Fu Panda" at Woodside Park
Tuesday, Sept. 17 - "IF" at Pop's Park
Friday, Sept. 20 - "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory" at Campbell Square Park
Friday, Sept. 20 - "Garfield" at Columbus Square Park
Saturday, Sept. 21 - TBD at Fairview Park
Friday, Sept. 27 - "The Little Mermaid" (2023) at The Spring Garden Community Garden
Friday, Sept. 27 - "Elemental" at Roots Community Garden
Saturday, Sept. 28 - "Garfield" at Powers Park
Saturday, Sept. 28 - "IF" at Ridgeway Park
Saturday, Oct. 5 - "IF" at Burholme Park
Friday, Oct. 11 - "The Little Mermaid" (2023) at Harrowgate Park
Friday, Oct. 11 - "Elemental" at Tacony Creek Park
Friday, Oct. 18 - "A Million Miles Away" at Starr Garden
Parks & Rec has a few additional mid-summer screenings coming to playgrounds and recreation centers across the city. The spread is almost exclusively animated family flicks — "Wonder Park," about an imaginary theme park come to life, has an especially strong showing — but the new "Rocky" canon classic "Creed" also makes an appearance. All movies start at dusk, but check the official schedule for postponements or cancelations.
Friday, July 12 - "Hotel Transylvania" at Thomas Mitchell Playground
Wednesday, July 24 - "Hotel Transylvania" at Hancock Playground
Friday, Aug. 2 - "Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile" at Lonnie Cohen Recreation Center
Wednesday, Aug. 7 - "Sing" at Thomas Mitchell Playground
Friday, Aug. 9 - "Wonder Park" at Piccoli Playground
Wednesday, Aug. 14 - "Wonder Park" at Samuel Recreation Center
Friday, Aug. 16 - "The Emoji Movie" at Pelbano Playground
Friday, Aug. 23 - "Wonder Park" at Southwark School
Wednesday, Aug. 28 - "Creed" at Christy Recreation Center
Friday, Sept. 6 - "Ralph Breaks the Internet" at Shot Tower Recreation Center
The Mann Center will also host two ticketed screenings of the original 1989 "Batman" and 1992 "Aladdin" with live accompaniment from the Philadelphia Orchestra on June 20 and July 27, respectively. (Tickets start at $28.)
Laurel Hill East has its own pair of movie nights planned. The cemetery will screen "Midsommar" on June 21 and the wacky Nicolas Cage comedy "Vampire's Kiss" on July 26. Both showings will feature pop-up markets and beverages from Philadelphia Brewing Co., accessible with a $20 general admission ticket.
This story has been updated with additional schedules.
Follow Kristin & PhillyVoice on Twitter: @kristin_hunt
| @thePhillyVoice
Like us on Facebook: PhillyVoice
Have a news tip? Let us know.
