Best outdoor cinemas in the UK: Where to watch films outside in London and beyond over summer 2016

Brave the Great British Summer and enjoy some alfresco cinema with our pick of the flicks

Don't forget your picnic rug (or your umbrella) (Nomad Cinema)

With the sun becoming more of a regular fixture in the sky, it’s time to start thinking about how to fill those long, warm summer nights. While many of us save cinema trips for rainy days, the explosion of alfresco cinemas popping up across the UK make the option of a moonlit movie night a much more tempting option.

Many of this year’s outdoor screenings are more like festivals, with gourmet food and cocktails on offer at a vast array of stunning venues from palaces and manor houses to themed locations such as Hyde Park Lido for Jaws and The Shawshank Redemption in Oxford’s Old Prison. Bletchley Park in Buckinghamshire is showing The Imitation Game to honour its World War Two codebreaking heritage, while Backyard Cinema in London’s Camden Market is hosting a music film festival and Rooftop Film Club has the monopoly on movies with views.

Here are our pick of the flicks for 2016:

Film4 Summer Screen

(Getty Images)

There are worse ways to spend a balmy August evening than in the beautiful courtyard of Somerset House, where this year the likes of Sunset Boulevard, 10 Things I Hate About You, Trainspotting and Girlhood will be entertaining alfresco film fans. Best of all, there’s a double bill of sci-fi hits Ex Machina and RoboCop on the first Saturday. Expect full surround sound, on-stage introductions from stars at special screenings and DJ sets begore the movies begin. Tickets cost £16 for single screenings and £20 for double bills. somersethouse.org.uk/film

Rooftop Film Club

Spanning London, New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, the Rooftop Film Club know how to do outdoor cinema properly. That is, on a roof so you can make the most of the city skyline, popcorn in hand. Highlights from this year’s programme include Amy at Peckham’s Bussey Building, Annie Hall at the Queen of Hoxton in Shoreditch, The Silence of the Lambs at Roof East in Stratford and Gladiator at Shadwell’s Tobacco Docks. The screenings go ahead come rain or shine, and you get free ponchos if it pours. Tickets cost £15. rooftopfilmclub.com/london

Luna Cinema

Luna’s locations range from stately homes to botanical gardens and medieval castles. The 2016 season is already in full swing and continues through to the end of September. Enjoy an array of genres with something to excite everyone, from Star Wars: The Force Awakens at Blenheim Palace and Grease at Lincoln Castle to Notting Hill at Kenwood House and Back to the Future at Norfolk’s Holkham Hall. Gastro vans will be on hand to feed you everything from smoked ribs and pulled pork to pizza and tandoori wraps. Ticket prices vary between venues. thelunacinema.com

Backyard Cinema

Camden Market’s two-week offering focuses on music films, from biopics to live concerts. Bunting and fairylights help create an intimate, snuggly vibe on the cobbled streets while cocktails and beers are available for those wanting to make a night of it. This August’s line-up includes Prince’s Purple Rain and Jamie Foxx’s Oscar-winning turn in Ray. Tickets start at £16.50 for a bean bag or deckchair with the special ‘date night pass’ costing £79. backyardcinema.co.uk

Summer Nights Film Festival

This primarily Midlands-based festival will see screens set up in gorgeous heritage locations from Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire and Belton House in Lincolnshire to RHS Garden Wisley in Surrey and Baddesley Clinton in Warwickshire. Kicking off in July, the programme features a range of movies including recent hits The Martian and The Lady in the Van to classics like Ghost and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. Tickets cost £11 and expect a hog roast at some venues. summernightsfilm.co.uk

Cult Screens

Unusual, nationwide locations give Cult Screens an edge over more conventional ‘screen in a park’ outdoor cinemas. Film fans can enjoy The Shawshank Redemption in Oxford’s Old Prison, Dirty Dancing at Cheltenham Ladies College, Romeo + Juliet inside Coventry’s Cathedral ruins and a full moon screening of An American Werewolf in London, to name but a handful. Movie-themed cocktails will be served at each event, along with quality food, while couples can snuggle up on a double beanbag. Prices start at £12 for a floor cushion. cultscreens.co.uk

Nomad Cinema

‘Roaming pop-up’ Nomad is back this summer with an enticing new London line-up jam-packed until the end of September. From The Lost Boys in Coram Secret Garden and Jaws in Hyde Park Lido to The Jungle Book in Bushy Park and Psycho and The Birds in the eerily atmospheric Brompton Cemetery, this travelling show cleverly pairs films with appropriate (albeit it sometimes vaguely) settings. Expect an intimate festival vibe, with food and drink stalls at most screenings. Tickets range in price from £6.75 to £30 depending on the venue. whereisthenomad.com

Bletchley Park

Bletchley Park which housed the first electronic digital computer (Getty Images)

The Buckinghamshire Victorian mansion where Britain’s codebreakers cracked the German Enigma is screening Oscar-winning biopic The Imitation Game. Many of the film’s scenes were shot at Bletchley Park and there is currently an exhibition running, complete with props, costumes and Enigma machine demos. One for Benedict Cumberbatch fans to pop in the diary for 2 and 3 September. Tickets cost £14.50 for adults and £8 for children. bletchleypark.org.uk

Picnic Cinema

(Picnic Cinema)

The clue is in the name with this one - it’s not just about the movies, but is all about ‘picnics, dancing, shenanigans, capers, discos, tomfoolery and great classic cult and horror films in extraordinary locations’. Bring your rug and hamper to enjoy the likes of David Bowie’s Labyrinth at Lytham Hall in Lancashire and The Rocky Horror Picture Show at Muncaster Castle in the Lake District. Fancy dress is encouraged, with adults paying £16.50 for tickets. Camping is also available on site if you’re keen to make a weekend of it. picniccinema.co.uk