Nothing is better than a summer evening in New York City. And on weekdays after work my favorite thing to do is pack a picnic and head to the park to watch a free outdoor movie. There is something about watching the sunset over the city that makes me happy. Even though the summer in NYC can be both exhausting to your body and your bank account one of my favorite things to do is catch a free outdoor movie with the hubs or my girlfriends.
Looking for more ideas of things to do this summer in NYC. Check out our NYC Summer Bucket List with ideas that will keep you busy all summer (and on budget)
The great news is that you can find an outdoor movie for free almost every night of the week. It makes for a cheap date night or a night out with friends. To make it easier for you I went ahead and put together a list of all the Free Outdoor Movies being offered in and around New York City this summer. I will try to update this list on a rolling basis so bookmark and be sure to come back to see any updates.
You know I love free and cheap. If you’re looking for ideas of where to go on your next getaway check out more cheap travel destinations in the US like St. Augustine Florida. Both offer so many things to do for free making them great budget friendly locations.
Before we get to the list of movies here are some of my tips in order to make the best of your movie night.
- Double Check the schedules before heading out as schedules posted below are subject to change or cancellation. I have done my best to include links where available.
- Get there early. Locations like Bryant Park and the Intrepid Fill up Quick so if you want a spot make sure to get there early.
- Bring a Blanket and/or something comfy to sit on.
- Movies usually start at Sundown so pack a picnic, a good book or a deck of playing cards.
- No Glass. Some of you may want wine. Technically Alcohol is not permitted however if you must decant into a non glass container. I like to use my S’well bottle.
- Clean Up After yourself. This is one of my favorite things to do in NYC. Don’t ruin it for your neighbors.
- Unplug. Instagram and Facebook will be there when the movie is over. This is a great time to just live in the moment.
NYC Outdoor Movies for Summer 2019
Week of June 10th
Wednesday June 12, 2019
Ant-Man and the Wasp, Poor Richard’s Playground, Manhattan
To Wong Foo Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar, Tony Dapolito Recreation Center, Manhattan
Thursday, June 13, 2019
Rebels On Pointe,Washington Square Arch (in Washington Square Park), Manhattan
Drumline,Richard Rodgers Amphitheater (in Marcus Garvey Park), Manhattan
Friday, June 14, 2019
The Professor, Columbus Park, Manhattan
Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, Clove Lakes Park park house (in Clove Lakes Park), Staten Island
In Safe Hands (Pupille), Washington Square Arch (in Washington Square Park), Manhattan
Woman on Fire, McCarren Park Pool Deck (in McCarren Park), Brooklyn
How to TrainYour Dragon: The Hidden World, Playground Ninety XC (in Playground Ninety), Queens
The Professor: Tai Chi’s Journey West (2016), MOCA (Museum of Chinese in America) Cinema, Columbus Park
Saturday, June 15, 2019
A Dog’s Way Home, Playground 89, Manhattan
Thor, Hylan Boulevard and Satterlee Street (in Conference House Park), Staten Island
Mary Poppins Returns, School Road and Bay Street (in Von Briesen Park), Staten Island
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018), Shore Road Park Flagpole (in Shore Park and Parkway), Brooklyn
Black Panther (PG-13), Field 81 (in Randall’s Island Park), Manhattan
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Ehrenreich-Austin Playground, Queens
Week of June 17th
Monday, June 17, 2019
Tuesday, June 18, 2019
Star Wars: The Last Jedi, St. Catherine’s Park, Manhattan
Wednesday, June 19, 2019
Aquaman, Thomas Jefferson Park, Manhattan
A Star is Born, Tony Dapolito Recreation Center, Manhattan
Thursday, June 20, 2019
BlacKkKlansman,Wright Brothers Playground, Manhattan
Friday, June 21, 2019
APOLLO 11 Documentary, Intrepid Museum
The Joy Luck Club, Columbus Park, Manhattan
Celebration of Modern Caribbean Cinema, Lincoln Road and Ocean Avenue Entrance (in Prospect Park), Brooklyn
Peppermint Soda (Diabolo menthe), WNYC Transmitter Park, Brooklyn
Annie (1982), Morris-Jumel Mansion (in Roger Morris Park), Manhattan
Aquaman, Willowbrook Park Archery Range (in Willowbrook Park), Staten Island
Black Panther, Flushing Fields, Queens
Coco (2017), Hudson River Park’s Pier 45
Saturday, June 22, 2019
Mary Poppins Returns, Corporal John A Seravalli Playground (in Corporal John A. Seravalli Playground), Manhattan
Crazy Rich Asians, The Oval (in Hunter’s Point South Park), Queens
Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018), Harry Maze Playground, Brooklyn
Captain American: The First Avenger, Broadway and Wayne Street (in CPL. Thompson Park), Staten Island
Ralph Breaks the Internet, Astoria Heights Playground (JHS 10) (in Astoria Heights Playground), Queens
Sunday, June 23, 2019
Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018), Kolbert Park (in Kolbert Playground), Brooklyn
Week of June 24th
Monday, June 24, 2019
‘La Misma Luna (Under the Same Moon)’, Gaelic Field (in Inwood Hill Park), Manhattan
Wednesday, June 26, 2019
Stonewall Uprising, Washington Square Arch (in Washington Square Park), Manhattan , Washington Square Park, Manhattan
Drive-In Cinema: Anastasia, Manhattan Beach Parking Lot (in Manhattan Beach Park), Brooklyn
Smallfoot, Yellowstone Park, Queens
Thursday, June 27, 2019
Bohemian Rhapsody, Tony Dapolito Recreation Center, Manhattan
[Double Feature] Cléo from 5 to 7 (1962), 6pm; and The Portrait of a Lady (1996), 9pm, The 50th Mixtape, Lincoln Center
Friday, June 28, 2019
The Fits, East 43rd Street Community Garden, Brooklyn
Crazy Rich Asians, Columbus Park, Manhattan
Mustang, WNYC Transmitter Park, Brooklyn
Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears, Cornelia Avenue and Chester Avenue (in Wolfe’s Pond Park), Staten Island
Movies Under the Stars: Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul, Paul Raimonda Playground, Queens
Saturday, June 29, 2019
If Beale Street Could Talk, Martin Luther King Jr. Playground (in Martin Luther King, Jr. Playground), Manhattan
The Avengers, Detective Russel Timoshenko Soccer Field (in Franklin D. Roosevelt Boardwalk and Beach), Staten Island
Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation, Neal Dow Avenue and Maine Avenue
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018), Winthrop Street between Rogers and Bedford Avenues(in Winthrop Playground), Brooklyn
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Travers Park, Queens
Week of July 1st
Monday, July 1, 2019
To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, Bryant Park
Tuesday, July 2, 2019
Spider-man Into The Spider-Verse, Sherman Creek Park (in Sherman Creek), Manhattan
Wednesday, July 3, 2019
Cielo, Socrates Sculpture Park, Queens
Sgt. Stubby: An American Hero, Vesuvio Playground, Manhattan
Friday, July 5, 2019
A Star is Born, Tecumseh Playground, Manhattan
Tomboy, Old Bandshell Lawn (in Tompkins Square Park), Manhattan
Saturday, July 6, 2019
My Little Pony, The Peninsula (in Inwood Hill Park), Manhattan
Week of July 8th
Monday, July 8, 2019
Carrie (1976), Bryant Park
‘Landfillharmonic’, Gaelic Field (in Inwood Hill Park), Manhattan
Tuesday, July 9, 2019
Beasts of the Southern Wild, Raoul Wallenberg Playground (in Highbridge Park), Manhattan
Wednesday, July 10, 2019
O Brother, Where Art Thou?, Pier I (in Riverside Park South), Manhattan
Purple Noon, Socrates Sculpture Park, Queens
The Amazing Catfish (Los insólitos peces gato), J Hood Wright Park (in J. Hood Wright Park), Manhattan
Thursday, July 11, 2019
Pariah, Harbor View Lawn (in Brooklyn Bridge Park), Brooklyn
Back to the Future, Sol Lain Playground (in Sol Lain Plgd), Manhattan
Friday, July 12, 2019
Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, Ball Fields (in Morningside Park), Manhattan
Aya of Yop City (Aya de Yopougon), Old Bandshell Lawn (in Tompkins Square Park), Manhattan
Saturday, July 13, 2019
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Frederick Douglass Playground, Manhattan
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018), Basketball Courts (in Scarangella Park), Brooklyn
Sunday, July 14, 2019
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (PG), Field 42 (in Randall’s Island Park), Manhattan
Week of July 15th
Monday, July 15, 2019
Bad Boys, Bryant Park
Isle of Dogs, Gaelic Field (in Inwood Hill Park), Manhattan
Tuesday, July 16, 2019
The Emoji Movie, Marx Brothers Playground, Manhattan
Wednesday, July 17, 2019
The Darjeeling Limited, Pier I (in Riverside Park South), Manhattan
Anbessa, Socrates Sculpture Park, Queens
Thursday, July 18, 2019
Movies with a View: Girlfight, Harbor View Lawn (in Brooklyn Bridge Park), Brooklyn
Friday, July 19, 2019
First Man, Intrepid Museum
Captain Marvel, Baruch Playground, Manhattan
Sequins (Brodeuses), Pier I (in Riverside Park South), Manhattan
Saturday, July 20, 2019
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, Tompkins Square Park, Manhattan
Week of July 22nd
Monday, July 22, 2019
Coming To America, Bryant Park
Crazy Rich Asians, Gaelic Field (in Inwood Hill Park), Manhattan
Captain America Civil War, George Seuffert Bandshell (in Forest Park), Queens
Singin’ in the Rain, Astoria Park Lawn (in Astoria Park), Queens
Tuesday, July 23, 2019
Coco, James Weldon Johnson Playground, Manhattan
Wednesday, July 24, 2019
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Pier I (in Riverside Park South), Manhattan
The Story of the Weeping Camel, Socrates Sculpture Park, Queens
Instant Family, North Lawn (in Stuyvesant Square), Manhattan
Thursday, July 25, 2019
Justice League, Vincent F. Albano Jr Playground (in Vincent F. Albano Jr. Playground), Manhattan
Friday, July 26, 2019
Mary Poppins Returns, Ball Fields (in Morningside Park), Manhattan
Chocolat, Pier I (in Riverside Park South), Manhattan
Saturday, July 27, 2019
Hotel Transylvania 3, Twenty Four Sycamores Park (in Twenty-Four Sycamores Park), Manhattan
Sunday, July 28, 2019
Tangled (PG), Field 81 (in Randall’s Island Park), Manhattan
Un Gallo con Muchos Huevos (Little Rooster’s Egg-cellent Adventure), Gaelic Field (in Inwood Hill Park), Manhattan
Black Panther, Elton Street and Jamaica Avenue (in Highland Park), Queens
Clueless, Astoria Park Lawn (in Astoria Park), Queens
Week of July 29th
Monday, July 29, 2019
Goodfellas, Bryant Park
Tuesday, July 30, 2019
The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part, Matthew P. Sapolin Playground, Manhattan
Wednesday, July 31, 2019
Little Miss Sunshine, Pier I (in Riverside Park South), Manhattan
‘En El Séptimo Día’ (USA), Socrates Sculpture Park, Queens
Johnny English Strikes Again, First Park, Manhattan
Week of August 5th
Monday, August 5, 2019
Anchorman, Bryant Park
A League of their Own, Gaelic Field (in Inwood Hill Park), Manhattan
Carousel, George Seuffert Bandshell (in Forest Park), Queens
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Astoria Park Lawn (in Astoria Park), Queens
Wednesday, August 7, 2019
Kubo and the Two Strings, Pier I (in Riverside Park South), Manhattan
Dark ‘Toons, Socrates Sculpture Park, Queens
Sunday, August 11, 2019
Crazy Rich Asians (PG-13), Field 42 (in Randall’s Island Park), Manhattan
Week of August 12th
Monday, August 12, 2019
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Gaelic Field (in Inwood Hill Park), Manhattan
Aquaman, Elton Street and Jamaica Avenue (in Highland Park), Queens
Wednesday, August 14, 2019
Life of Pi, Pier I (in Riverside Park South), Manhattan
La Ciénaga, Socrates Sculpture Park, Queens
Sunday, August 18, 2019
Ralph Breaks the Internet (PG), Field 81 (in Randall’s Island Park), Manhattan
Week of August 19th
Monday, August 19, 2019
El Libro de la Vida (The Book of Life), Gaelic Field (in Inwood Hill Park), Manhattan
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, George Seuffert Bandshell (in Forest Park), Queens
Wednesday, August 21, 2019
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Pier I (in Riverside Park South), Manhattan
March of the Penguins, Socrates Sculpture Park, Queens
Week of August 26th
Monday, August 26, 2019
“Bohemian Rhapsody”, Elton Street and Jamaica Avenue (in Highland Park), Queens
Week of September 1st
Tuesday, September 3, 2019
Olivia, Low Memorial Library, Columbia University, Manhattan
Sunday, September 8, 2019
Creed II (PG-13), Field 42 (in Randall’s Island Park), Manhattan
Free Movies in the Park
This list will be updated on a rolling basis so be sure to come back and check out what is new.
In the meantime.
Pack and picnic and join me in one of the many parks in New York City for a free movie night. Hope to see you around.
Kevin Newcombe says
Solid
Cate says
Omg I wish we had outdoor movies here! But it’s too cold in Edmonton haha
Taima says
Ahhh..Not even in the summer.. Booo.
Eunice Tan says
Such a diverse list! Hope to get the chance to experience this in the future 🙂
Taima says
Oh. They have an amazing line up every year. Definitely the highlight of the summer.