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 some locations that showed or were likely to show movies in 2023. As of early June, details about some events were to be confirmed.

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 2022, there was live music on each of the evenings. In 2023 there was pre-show entertainment once again.

See our article about Sunset Cinema for more information.

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. It didn’t happen in 2020 or 2021 due to the pandemic, but it returned in 2022 and again in 2023.

Free seating is available for up to about 5,000 people on a first-come, first-served basis. Premium VIP seating is also available with advance reservations for about $20 per person, although spaces are limited.

Stanley Park Summer Cinema movies all start at dusk on Tuesday evenings on one of the largest outdoor screens in the Lower Mainland.

The 2023 schedule was the following (with all films starting at dusk):

4th of July, 2023 – Bring It On (2000, PG)
11th of July, 2023 – The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023, G)
18th of July, 2023 – Vote between My Best Friend’s Wedding (1997, PG), The Parent Trap (1998, PG) and 10 Things I Hate About You (1999, PG)
25th of July, 2023 – Jaws (1975, PG)
1st of August, 2023 – The Wedding Singer (1998, PG)
8th of August, 2023 – The Birdcage (1996, PG)
15th of August, 2023 – Shrek (2001, G)
22nd of August, 2023 – Pirates of the Caribbean (2003, 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.

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 this past 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

For more information check out Downtown Vancouver Movie Night.

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. At the time of writing, it was unclear whether the summer screenings would return in 2023.

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

To learn more click DOXA Documentary Film Festival.

Burnaby Free Outdoor Movies

Free Outdoor Movies in Burnaby often take place outside the Bob Prittie Library – Metrotown Branch at the corner of Kingsborough and MacKay (at 6100 Willingdon Avenue) on Friday evenings in August starting at 8:15 pm.

2023 dates included August 4th, 11th, 18th and 25th, as well as September 1st. Folks who dress in costume on opening day get free popcorn. Below was the outdoor movie lineup for this past year:

4th of August, 2023 – The Wizard of Oz
11th of August, 2023 – The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run
18th of August, 2023 – Spies in Disguise
25th of August, 2023 – The Lost City
1st of September, 2023 – West Side Story

In addition to the above films near Metrotown, the following movie also happened at Edmonds Park at 7433 Humphries Avenue:

Saturday, 26th of August, 2023 – Shazam! Fury of the Gods

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 took place on Cates Deck on Thursday evenings in North Vancouver’s Shipyards District in 2023. The movies were free to attend and preceded by live music from DJs. Below was the schedule for this past year:

29th of June, 2023 – Fantastic Planet
6th of July, 2023 – Interstella 5555
13th of July, 2023 – What We Do In The Shadows
20th of July, 2023 – Whale Rider
27th of July, 2023 – Big Trouble In Little China
3rd of August, 2023 – Xanadu
10th of August, 2023 – Lovers Rock
17th of August, 2023 – Moonstruck
24th of August, 2023 – No Bears
31st of August, 2023 – Bullitt

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

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 took place on the days listed below.

7th of July, 2023 – The Minions: Rise of Gru
28th of July, 2023 – Puss in Boots: The Last Wish

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

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 the films this past year was the following:

2nd of August, 2023 – Jumanji
9th of August, 2023 – Mamma Mia 2: Here We Go Again
16th of August, 2023 – Encanto
23rd of August, 2023 – E.T.

To learn more about these and other events in the area see our article about North Vancouver Outdoor Movies.

Movies at Semiahmoo Park in White Rock

A few movies showed at Semiahmoo Park in White Rock in 2022. At the time of writing, 2023 details were to be confirmed.

These movies were not free in 2022. 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 2023 they happened on Wednesday evenings in August. The full schedule is below.

2nd of August, 2023 – The Super Mario Bros. Movie
9th of August, 2023 – Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
16th of August, 2023 – Fast X
23rd of August, 2023 – Top Gun: Maverick
30th of August, 2023 – Puss in Boots: The Last Wish

Surrey Outdoor Movies

Movies at Holland Park is another series of outdoor movies that takes place most years at Surrey’s Holland Park at 13428 Old Yale Road not far from Central City mall on Saturday evenings. Each night there is popcorn, hot dogs and burgers available. Admission is by donation with proceeds going to charity.

2023 films at Holland Park included the following:

5th of August, 2023 – Turning Red
12th of August, 2023 – Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
19th of August, 2023 – The Super Mario Bros. Movie

Entertainment each evening started at 6:00 pm and the films began at dusk (9:00 pm).

Outdoor Movie Night at Holland Park — Movies at Holland Park

Langley Outdoor Movies

The outdoor movies in Langley in 2023 were held at Douglas Park. The venue is located at 20550 Douglas Crescent. All screenings were free to attend.

Below were the movies screened in Langley this past year:

7th of July, 2023 – Top Gun Maverick ~9:30 pm
4th of August, 2023 – The Super Mario Bros. Movie ~9:00 pm
1st of September, 2023 – Guardians of the Galaxy ~8:00 pm

See the City of Langley‘s website for the latest details.

Tsawwassen Outdoor Movies

The Tsawwassen Sun Festival is a three-day community festival that ran in 2023 ran from August 5th to 7th. This past year’s festival featured a free outdoor movie at Town Centre Mall on August 6th at 6:30 pm. As of early June, additional details were to be confirmed.