There’s something undeniably brilliant about watching a film outdoors. Maybe it’s the novelty of sitting under the stars, maybe it’s the fact that snacks taste better outside, maybe it’s the fact that you can’t be irritated by your neighbour crunching crisps because you can’t hear them because of the whipping wind or maybe just maybe it’s the fact that nobody’s judging you for turning up wrapped in a blanket in July. Summer: don’t you just love it?
Whatever the reason, Sussex is looking particularly good for open-air cinema this year, with everything from cult comedies and poolside screenings to woodland movie nights and films on Brighton Palace Pier. These are our favourites.
Head to Preston Manor for cult classics and garden cinema
Picturehouse’s outdoor cinema season returns to Preston Manor this summer and it’s easily one of Brighton’s prettiest screening locations. Think deckchairs on the lawn, a historic manor house as your backdrop and a £7 food and drink voucher included with every ticket.
The programme is pleasingly eclectic this year, with screenings including Josie and the Pussycats, This Is Spinal Tap, Evil Dead II, Moulin Rouge and, our favourite, Best in Show, complete with a puppy parade beforehand.
Better yet, all of the screenings (not just the one with the puppy parade) are dog-friendly.
Perfect if: you want proper cinema vibes without actually leaving Brighton.
Fri – Sun: 19th – 21st June; 26th – 28th June; 14th – 16th August and 21st – 23rd August
picturehouses.com
Support Sussex’s indie outdoor cinema
White Wall Cinema remains one of the most interesting independent cinema operators around and, while they only have one outdoor screening announced so far this year – Monterey Pop – it’s always worth keeping an eye on what they’re doing.
Other than their carefully curated selection of films (you won’t see the same films rolled out again and again here), the real attraction here is the atmosphere. Their outdoor screenings take place in a lovely beer garden setting and feel much more grassroots than some of the larger touring cinema operators. It’s also Brighton’s only genuinely independent cinema.
Perfect if: you’d rather support independents than giant touring cinema brands and prefer to see something a little different.
From Fri 12th Jun
whitewallcinema.co.uk
Watch adventure films under the stars at One Garden
Forget Hollywood blockbusters. Frontier Sapiens is bringing its open-air adventure film festival back to One Garden in Stanmer Park this August, with a night of short films exploring epic journeys, environmental stories and life at the edge of human possibility. Think mountains, oceans, wild landscapes and people doing things most of us would (not so) politely decline.
The screening takes place in the beautiful walled garden at One Garden, with food and drink available throughout the evening. Bring a blanket, pack a picnic and prepare to leave feeling either inspired or mildly inadequate. Possibly both.
Perfect if: you like your films with more mountains and fewer paint-by-numbers love stories.
Sat 8th August; 8.45pm; from £17.50
frontiersapiens.com
Catch a film on Brighton Palace Pier
If your idea of outdoor cinema involves maximum sea air, Vision Cinema’s Brighton weekend might be the one.
Taking over Brighton Palace Pier on 27th and 28th June, the programme includes Jaws, Top Gun: Maverick, La La Land, Mamma Mia!, Finding Dory and Frozen II. It’s hard to think of a more Brighton setting than watching a film at the end of the city’s most iconic landmark with the sea stretching out around you.
And let’s be honest, watching Jaws on Brighton Palace Pier feels like the correct way to watch Jaws.
Perfect if: you want your film night served with a side of seafront atmosphere.
Sat 27th and Sun 28th June
visioncinema.co.uk
Take a sunset dip before a film at Saltdean Lido
Watching Dirty Dancing poolside at one of the UK’s most beautiful Art Deco lidos? Sounds pretty good to us.
Cinestock returns to Saltdean Lido this summer with screenings of Dirty Dancing and Back to the Future, but the real draw is the venue itself. You can arrive early, take a swim in the heated outdoor pool, grab food and drinks from the newly opened Reading Room, then settle in as the sun goes down.
It’s only around 15 minutes from central Brighton, but somehow feels like you’ve escaped on holiday for the evening.
Perfect if: your ideal cinema snack is a cocktail and a sunset swim.
Fri 31st July and Sat 5th September
cinestock.co.uk
Watch a film in one of Sussex’s most beautiful gardens
If you’re willing to travel a little further, Leonardslee Lakes & Gardens near Horsham (around 35 minutes by car from Brighton) arguably wins on scenery alone.
Their open-air cinema series takes place amongst the Grade I-listed gardens, with food, drinks and sunset screenings of films including The Italian Job, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again and The Greatest Showman.
The gardens themselves are worth the trip, so arrive early and make an evening of it.
Perfect if: you like your movie nights with a side of spectacular scenery.
Fri 11th, Sat 12th and Sat 19th September
leonardsleegardens.co.uk
Do movie night in a botanic garden at Wakehurst
Another day, another gorgeous garden. Adventure Cinema’s screenings at Wakehurst are set amongst one of Sussex’s most impressive outdoor spaces, around 30 minutes from Brighton.
The programme includes everything from musical singalongs and family favourites to blockbuster films under the stars. We also like that they’re already thinking ahead to autumn. Their Halloween screenings are back later in the year, giving you an excuse to swap rosé and sunglasses for blankets and jump scares when spooky season rolls around.
Perfect if: you’re already planning your October diary in June.
Fri 12th – Sun 14th June and Fri 2nd October – Sun 4th October
adventurecinema.co.uk
Whether you’re after cult classics on a manor lawn, a poolside Dirty Dancing singalong, a film surrounded by woodland gardens or a blockbuster on Brighton Palace Pier, Sussex is pretty spoilt for open-air cinema options this year.
Just don’t forget a blanket. Even in July, this is very much still the UK, so four seasons in one day is always a distinct possibility.
