The Barbican has unveiled the programme for its outdoor cinema series

an image of the outdoor cinema with Arrival (2016) playing on the big screen — (Image credit: Dion Barret / Arrival (2016))

One thing Brits love to do when summer starts, apart from getting as naked as physically possible in literally any patch of grass they see, is going to see a film that you love in the good old balmy open air. Forget your usual green space or rooftop, one London landmark is back for the summer, hosting a whole programme of cult classics in its historic surroundings.

The Barbican is bringing outdoor cinema back, kicking off on 19th August and running until 30th August in its Sculpture Court. This year’s lineup has a whole range of films as well as styles and genres, from Jafar Panahi’s Tehranian football feature to a Denis Villeneuve sci-fi classic.

Romantically dubbed Film nights under the city lights, each film shown lets you enjoy the warm summer evenings with a film night under the stars (pollution pending). As well as the films, you can grab food from their market, sip on a cocktail in the lush conservatory, and catch the sunset settle over the city.

Latest Videos From

an image of a row of women eating popcorn at the open air cinema

On the docket is a mix of queer stories, indie gems, Cannes Grand Prix winners, and even a three-headed monster will be making an appearance. You can catch Madonna and Rosanna Arquette in the 80s classic Desperately Seeking Susan, you can share the joy of queer love in Hettie MacDonald’s Beautiful Thing, which will celebrate its 30th anniversary, or immerse yourself in the world of Broadway with David Byrne and Spike Lee’s American Utopia. Basically, no matter what your watchlist on Netflix looks like, there’ll be something to get your Letterboxd-loving teeth into.

Whilst they won’t be providing blankets, you’re encouraged to bring your own along to keep cosy as the evening unfurls, and you’ll be given a pair of headphones on arrival to listen to the film, keeping the whole thing quietly laid back – it’s sort of like a silent disco but with less pop music and more popcorn.

The full 2026 lineup is:

Arrival, 19th August
David Byrne’s American Utopia, 30th August
Offside, 20th August
Atlantics, 21st August
Weathering With You, 22nd August
Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster + recorded intro by Kaiju expert Steven Sloss , 23rd August
The Florida Project, 25th August
Pierrot Le Fou, 26th August
Poetic Justice, 27th August
Beautiful Thing, 28th August
Desperately Seeking Susan, 29th August

‘This year's line-up is an eclectic mix that includes but is not limited to beloved coming of age stories, cult classics, and one three-headed monster - all of which will look spectacular against the backdrop of the Barbican. Summer can't come soon enough!”

Tickets will go on general sale on 14th May at 10am, with all tickets priced at £20, but plenty of concessions available, and cheaper tickets for under 18s and Barbican members. You can peruse the lineup and book tickets at the Barbican’s website.

BFI is running free screenings of Paul Rudd and Nick Jonas’ new comedy across nine London cinemas

Skip the search — follow Shortlist on Google News to get our best lists, news, features and reviews at the top of your feeds!

Hermione Blandford is the Content Editor for Shortlist’s social media which means you can usually find her scrolling through Instagram and calling it work, or stopping random people in the street and accosting them with a mini mic. She has previously worked in food and drink PR for brands including Johnnie Walker, Tanqueray, Gordon's, The Singleton, Lagavulin and Don Julio which means she is a self confessed expert in spicy margaritas and pints, regularly popping into the pub in the name of research.