Outdoor Summer Movies

Every summer there are free outdoor movies at venues like Canada Place, Stanley Park, downtown Vancouver and across the Lower Mainland.

To learn about the above shows as well as others on other dates at venues throughout the Lower Mainland, continue reading!

Outdoor movies often take place at the following locations:

Click on any of the above links to jump to movie information for a specific part of town, or continue reading to learn about all Metro Vancouver outdoor movie locations.

Note: If you want a list of movies in chronological order instead, click Free Outdoor Movies.

Free Outdoor Movies in the Lower Mainland

At each outdoor movie location spectators are encouraged to bring their own blankets and lawn chairs, plus snacks and picnics for those who want them. The exceptions are any drive-in movies, where the organizers might want people to stay in their vehicles.

Below are locations showing movies in 2024, along with others that have showed them in the past. As of late May, details about some events are to be confirmed.

Stanley Park Summer Cinema

Stanley Park Summer Cinema is a series of free outdoor movie showings that take place at Second Beach in Stanley Park from early July until late August.

The movies all start at dusk on Tuesday evenings on one of the largest outdoor screens in the Lower Mainland. In 2024 the series starts on July 9th and concludes on August 27th.

Free seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Premium VIP seating is also available with advance reservations for about $25 per person, although space is limited.

The 2024 schedule is the following (with all films starting at dusk):

9th of July, 2024 – Toy Story (1995, G)
16th of July, 2024 – Back to the Future (1985, PG)
23rd of July, 2024 – The Emperor’s New Groove (2000, G)
30th of July, 2024 – How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003, PG)
6th of August, 2024 – School of Rock (2003, PG)
13th of August, 2024 – Barbie (2023, PG)
20th of August, 2024 – Twilight (2008, G)
27th of August, 2024 – Vote between The Princess Diaries (2001, G), The Parent Trap (1998, PG) and Matilda (1996, PG)

Click Stanley Park Outdoor Cinema for more information.

TIP: Make a day of the experience – Stanley Park’s seawall is wonderful to walk or cycle around beforehand, and the Second Beach outdoor swimming pool is usually open until around dusk in July and August.

Burnaby Free Outdoor Movies

Free Outdoor Movies in Burnaby kick off at Confederation Park and then continue at Civic Square on Friday evenings in August starting at 8:15 pm.

2024 dates include August 2nd, 16th, 23rd and 30th. Folks are encouraged to arrive early and dress like characters from the movies. Below is the outdoor movie lineup for 2024:

2nd of August, 2024 – Mean Girls (Confederation Park)
16th of August, 2024 – Barbie (Civic Square)
23rd of August, 2024 – Wonka (Civic Square)
30th of August, 2024 – Sonic 2 (Civic Square)

Click Burnaby Summer Cinema for further details about these events.

North Vancouver Outdoor Movies

Free outdoor movies show at various locations around North Vancouver most summers.

North Vancouver’s Cates Deck

The Deckchair Cinema series takes place on Cates Deck on Thursday evenings in North Vancouver’s Shipyards District in 2024. The movies are free to attend. Below is the schedule for this year:

27th of June, 2024 – Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains
4th of July, 2024 – The Harder They Come
11th of July, 2024 – Stop Making Sense
18th of July, 2024 – Night Raiders
25th of July, 2024 – Scott Pilgrim vs the World
1st of August, 2024 – Death Becomes Her
8th of August, 2024 – Close-Up
15th of August, 2024 – Supercop
22nd of August, 2024 – Phantom of the Paradise
29th of August, 2024 – The Warriors

To learn more about the above movies and their venue see our article about Deckchair Cinema.

Sunset Cinema at the Shipyards

Free outdoor movies take place on Wednesdays at Shipyards Commons (which is the large covered open plaza in the Shipyards District just a five-minute walk from Lonsdale Quay). The schedule for this year’s films is as follows:

31st of July, 2024 – Barbie
7th of August, 2024 – The Princess Bride
14th of August, 2024 – Top Gun: Maverick
21st of August, 2024 – Finding Nemo
28th of August, 2024 – Pitch Perfect

For full details about the outdoor movies go to the City of North Vancouver‘s website.

North Vancouver Movies at Civic Plaza

Free movies show in the plaza outside the North Vancouver City Library at 120 West 14th Street. The screen size is smaller here than at Stanley Park and Canada Place, and it’s a slightly cozier atmosphere with only a couple of hundred North Shore spectators most nights.

Movie nights at the plaza take place on the days listed below in 2024.

12th of July, 2024 – TBD
26th of July, 2024 – TBD

For the latest details about this event see the City of North Vancouver‘s website.

Reel Magic at Ray Perrault Park

There is a movie night scheduled for Friday, August 9th at Ray Perrault Park in 2024. The film plays on a 24-foot screen and there are various games to play at the park before settling in for the movie.

9th of August, 2024 – TBD

To learn more about this and other events visit the City of North Vancouver‘s website.

Grouse Mountain’s Movies on the Mountain

There are outdoor movies shown at Grouse Mountain on Thursday evenings in 2024. These movies are only free if you have an annual pass. Otherwise they cost $25 to attend.

The movies begin at sunset, so around 9:00 pm at the beginning of August and around 8:00 pm at the end of August. The 2024 schedule is as follows:

Thursday, August 1st – Encanto
Thursday, August 8th – Barbie
Thursday, August 15th – Jurassic Park
Thursday, August 22nd – Grease
Thursday, August 29th – Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

For more details check out the Grouse Mountain website.

Surrey Outdoor Movies

Movies Under the Stars is another series of outdoor movies that takes place at Surrey’s Holland Park at 13428 Old Yale Road not far from Central City mall on Saturday evenings. Popcorn and hot dogs are available on site. Admission is by donation with proceeds going to charity. Entertainment each evening starts at 6:00 pm and the films begin at dusk (just after 9:00 pm).

2024 films at Holland Park include the following:

3rd of August, 2024 – The Bad Guys
10th of August, 2024 – Wonka
17th of August, 2024 – Barbie

For more information about this series, see our article about Movies Under the Stars.

Outdoor Movie Night at Holland Park — Movies at Holland Park

Tsawwassen Outdoor Movies

The Tsawwassen Sun Festival is a three-day community festival that runs from August 3rd to 5th in 2024. This year’s festival features a free outdoor movie at Southlands Grange on August 3rd at dusk.

Vancouver Art Gallery Outdoor Movies

Summer Movie Nights in the Square take place at the šxʷƛ̓ənəq Xwtl’e7énḵ Square in front of the Vancouver Art Gallery on the 800 block of Georgia Street.

In 2023, pre-show activities such as mini golf, live music and face painting started at around 5:00 pm. The films began at sundown. Below was the lineup for last year. The movies ran on most Thursdays in July and August.

6th of July, 2023 – Twilight
13th of July, 2023 – Bend It Like Beckham
20th of July, 2023 – Legally Blonde
27th of July, 2023 – The Lego Movie
3rd of August, 2023 – The Rocky Horror Picture Show
10th of August, 2023 – Top Gun: Maverick
17th of August, 2023 – Everything Everywhere All At Once

In 2024 the films return on Thursday evenings from July 4th until August 15th, but the exact titles are TBC. For more information check out Downtown Vancouver Movie Nights.

Sunset Cinema at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre Plaza

Free outdoor movies show in the plaza outside the Queen Elizabeth Theatre at 650 Hamilton Street, now named šxʷƛ̓exən Xwtl’a7shn Plaza.

2023 dates and films were the following (with all screenings at dusk):

2nd of August, 2023 – Top Gun: Maverick at ~9:00 pm
9th of August, 2023 – The Super Mario Bros. Movie at ~9:00 pm
16th of August, 2023 – Puss in Boots: The Last Wish at ~8:30 pm
23rd of August, 2023 – Everything Everywhere All At Once at ~8:30 pm
30th of August, 2023 – West Side Story at ~8:00 pm

Prior to the films shown in 2023, there was live music on each of the evenings. Hopefully the same will be the case in 2024!

See our article about Sunset Cinema for more information.

Vancouver Public Library Outdoor Movies

The DOXA Documentary Film Festival ran from May 5th to 15th in 2022. However, the DOXA Outdoor Summer Screenings happened in August. The screenings took place outside the Vancouver Public Library Central Branch and were free to attend last year. At the time of writing 2023 details were to be confirmed.

There were two screenings in 2022, both of which happened on a Friday at 9:00 pm. The 2022 schedule is listed below. It doesn’t seem like outdoor screenings took place in 2023. Whether or not it happens in 2024 is TBC.

12th of August, 2022 – Collection of short films
19th of August, 2022 – Dear Jackie

To learn more click DOXA Documentary Film Festival.

Movies at Semiahmoo Park in White Rock

A few movies showed at Semiahmoo Park in White Rock in 2022. Last year there was only one movie, and it was part of the White Rock Sea Festival and Semiahmoo Days.

When White Rock had designated movie nights in 2022 it was a drive-in theatre. Tickets cost $25 per vehicle at the gate. Proceeds from these movies went to Semiahmoo Minor Hockey. The park is located at 15782 Marine Drive.

16th of July, 2022 – Peter Rabbit
23rd of July, 2022 – Grease
30th of July, 2022 – Jumanji: Welcome the Jungle

Richmond Outdoor Movies

Drive-in movies usually take place in the Lansdowne Centre parking lot at 5300 No. 3 Road in Richmond. In 2024 they happen on Wednesday evenings in July. The full schedule is below.

Note: These movies used to be free, but this year there is a cost of $25 per vehicle. Partial proceeds benefit the Canada Blood Services, which is a worthwhile cause.