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Here's Where To Go In D.C. To Catch An Outdoor Movie

By Valerie Paschall
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By Valerie Paschall

[Photo by Kevin Harber]

Catching up on new movies can be hard. Tickets are expensive and all the good ones seem to hit theatres at the same time...making it hard to catch everything. That's why these outdoor film screenings are so welcome. They provide a great opportunity to catch up on movies that have slipped through the cracks and they're held during a time of year when being social outdoors may actually be preferable to staying in a warm bedroom with a Netflix queue. Most of these film series haven't started yet, so now seemed to be a good time to map out where these events will take place, what the theme will be (if there is one) and what time to show up.

Finally, we're fully aware that Screen on the Green isn't on the map. Don't shoot the messenger. Direct that ire toward HBO for having not yet released a schedule or even confirmed that it's happening this year. Still, everyone knows that this summer institution is located on the National Mall, right? If we've missed anything else, chances are that they've just not released a schedule (looking at you, U Street and Mt Pleasant), but feel free to bring us up to speed in the comments.


· D.C. Outdoor Films [Official Site]
· Outdoor Movies 2014 For The D.C. Area [About.com]
· Where to Find D.C.'s Spots for Outdoor Movie Watching [CDC]

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Capitol Riverfront Outdoor Movies

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Navy Yard's outdoor film series starts on June 5th. This year, the theme is "A Whole New Ballgame" so expect the full range of sports flicks from the irreverent (Dodgeball) to the family-friendly (Space Jam) and indie flicks (Bend It Like Beckham) to classics (Rudy). Movies start at sundown on Thursdays and the film series runs through September 4th.

200 M Street Southeast, Washington, DC 20003

NoMa Summer Screen

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NoMa Summer Screen starts next Wednesday and will run for the following thirteen weeks. This year's theme is Unlikely Friendships, so of course the first movie is Back to the Future. Come at sundown and bring blankets, children and dogs. Photo by Bill McNeal

2nd Street Northeast & L Street Northeast, Washington, DC 20002

Crystal Screen Outdoor Film Festival

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Chances are high that Metro riders have already seen ads for this film series. The theme this year is "In Flight," so Top Gun and Airplane! are on the menu this year. The series runs on Mondays at sundown starting June 2nd, and don't worry, the final film on August 25 is the hilariously-titled Snakes On A Plane. Photo by Kevin Harber.

18th Street South & South Bell Street, Crystal City Shops, Arlington, VA 22202

National Harbor Movies on the Potomac

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Why have one theme for a film festival when there can be five? Each theme lasts for about three weeks and in order they will be: Animated Academy Awards, Family Knows Best, Musicals, 007 and Neverland. The Sunday evening films start at sundown (but usually 8:30 p.m.) and the first one this Sunday will be Up. Photo by Michael Reed.

12 Waterfront Street, Oxon Hill, MD 20745

Rosslyn Outdoor Film Festival

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This Friday night film series at Gateway Park will start next week on May 30 and run through August 22nd. The theme this year is "Working For The Weekend" so all of the movies are about work. Unsurprisingly, they're opening the season with Office Space. Photo by Flickr user Kataya1220.

1300 Lee Highway, Arlington, VA 22209

Bethesda Outdoor Movies

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This series is unique in that instead of running on the same weekday over the course of several weeks, it runs for five straight days at the end of July. The films start at 9:00 p.m. and have no discernible theme as the series starts on the 22nd with Ferris Bueller's Day Off, ends on the 26th with Top Gun and has Moonrise Kingdom, Citizen Kane and Pitch Perfect thrown up in between.

Norfolk Avenue & Auburn Avenue, Bethesda, MD 20814

Movie Nights in Adams Morgan

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Sadly, the first night of this three night series passed on Tuesday, but there's still a chance to see All The President's Men on June 10th and Rushmore on June 24th. The movies start thirty minutes after sunset on the Marie Reed Elementary School field. Photo by Flickr user thisisbossi.

18th Street Northwest & California Street Northwest, Washington, DC 20009

Golden Cinema Series

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This Friday night film series gets rolling a little earlier than most; the movies start at 7:30 p.m. The first one is this Friday and the series of movies that use D.C. as a backdrop runs through July 11th. Also as a bonus, an original short film will run before the main event. Photo by Reed George.

Connecticut Avenue Northwest & K Street Northwest, Washington, DC 20006

Cinema In The Circle

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To be honest, the summer film series by the famous fountain has not yet announced any dates but they get a pass, because they have announced another event for which they're breaking out the screen. The Germany vs. USA World Cup match will be broadcast live on June 26th. Photo by thisisbossi.

1 DuPont Cir NW, Washington DC, D.C. 20036

Moonlit Movies

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This film series at the far end of the Green Line is held on the lawn of the Greenbelt Aquatic & Fitness Center and will be held every other Saturday starting with next Saturday's showing of Back To The Future. That one will start at 9:00 p.m. but by the time they get to October 4th's screening of Up, show time will have been pushed up to 7:30 p.m. Photo courtesy of NASA Goddard.

101 Centerway, Greenbelt, MD 20770

Movies On The Square

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This Thursday night movie series serves Montgomery County's film buffs between June 12th and August 21st. There's no theme, so titles run the gamut from the intense Gravity to a sing-a-long version of Frozen. Movies start at sundown, so approximately at 8:30 p.m. Photo by Dan Reed.

Maryland Avenue & East Middle Lane, Rockville, MD 20850

Cinema Del Ray

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The first screening of the Alexandria film series has already passed, but there's still a chance to catch kid-friendly films at dusk on the third Saturdays of June, July and August. Just go to Mount Vernon Rec Center. Photo by Kurt Voelker.

2017 Belle View Boulevard, Alexandria, VA 22307

Alexandria Comcast Film Festival

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This is a rather short lived outdoor movie-watching experience as it's only going for one weekend. On July 18th, they'll show Despicable Me 2 and on July 19th, it will be The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. Photo via Alexandria Comcast Film Festival.

1116-1/2 Prince Street, Alexandria, VA 22314
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Capitol Riverfront Outdoor Movies

200 M Street Southeast, Washington, DC 20003

Navy Yard's outdoor film series starts on June 5th. This year, the theme is "A Whole New Ballgame" so expect the full range of sports flicks from the irreverent (Dodgeball) to the family-friendly (Space Jam) and indie flicks (Bend It Like Beckham) to classics (Rudy). Movies start at sundown on Thursdays and the film series runs through September 4th.

200 M Street Southeast, Washington, DC 20003

NoMa Summer Screen

2nd Street Northeast & L Street Northeast, Washington, DC 20002

NoMa Summer Screen starts next Wednesday and will run for the following thirteen weeks. This year's theme is Unlikely Friendships, so of course the first movie is Back to the Future. Come at sundown and bring blankets, children and dogs. Photo by Bill McNeal

2nd Street Northeast & L Street Northeast, Washington, DC 20002

Crystal Screen Outdoor Film Festival

18th Street South & South Bell Street, Crystal City Shops, Arlington, VA 22202

Chances are high that Metro riders have already seen ads for this film series. The theme this year is "In Flight," so Top Gun and Airplane! are on the menu this year. The series runs on Mondays at sundown starting June 2nd, and don't worry, the final film on August 25 is the hilariously-titled Snakes On A Plane. Photo by Kevin Harber.

18th Street South & South Bell Street, Crystal City Shops, Arlington, VA 22202

National Harbor Movies on the Potomac

12 Waterfront Street, Oxon Hill, MD 20745

Why have one theme for a film festival when there can be five? Each theme lasts for about three weeks and in order they will be: Animated Academy Awards, Family Knows Best, Musicals, 007 and Neverland. The Sunday evening films start at sundown (but usually 8:30 p.m.) and the first one this Sunday will be Up. Photo by Michael Reed.

12 Waterfront Street, Oxon Hill, MD 20745

Rosslyn Outdoor Film Festival

1300 Lee Highway, Arlington, VA 22209

This Friday night film series at Gateway Park will start next week on May 30 and run through August 22nd. The theme this year is "Working For The Weekend" so all of the movies are about work. Unsurprisingly, they're opening the season with Office Space. Photo by Flickr user Kataya1220.

1300 Lee Highway, Arlington, VA 22209

Bethesda Outdoor Movies

Norfolk Avenue & Auburn Avenue, Bethesda, MD 20814

This series is unique in that instead of running on the same weekday over the course of several weeks, it runs for five straight days at the end of July. The films start at 9:00 p.m. and have no discernible theme as the series starts on the 22nd with Ferris Bueller's Day Off, ends on the 26th with Top Gun and has Moonrise Kingdom, Citizen Kane and Pitch Perfect thrown up in between.

Norfolk Avenue & Auburn Avenue, Bethesda, MD 20814

Movie Nights in Adams Morgan

18th Street Northwest & California Street Northwest, Washington, DC 20009

Sadly, the first night of this three night series passed on Tuesday, but there's still a chance to see All The President's Men on June 10th and Rushmore on June 24th. The movies start thirty minutes after sunset on the Marie Reed Elementary School field. Photo by Flickr user thisisbossi.

18th Street Northwest & California Street Northwest, Washington, DC 20009

Golden Cinema Series

Connecticut Avenue Northwest & K Street Northwest, Washington, DC 20006

This Friday night film series gets rolling a little earlier than most; the movies start at 7:30 p.m. The first one is this Friday and the series of movies that use D.C. as a backdrop runs through July 11th. Also as a bonus, an original short film will run before the main event. Photo by Reed George.

Connecticut Avenue Northwest & K Street Northwest, Washington, DC 20006

Cinema In The Circle

1 DuPont Cir NW, Washington DC, D.C. 20036

To be honest, the summer film series by the famous fountain has not yet announced any dates but they get a pass, because they have announced another event for which they're breaking out the screen. The Germany vs. USA World Cup match will be broadcast live on June 26th. Photo by thisisbossi.

1 DuPont Cir NW, Washington DC, D.C. 20036

Moonlit Movies

101 Centerway, Greenbelt, MD 20770

This film series at the far end of the Green Line is held on the lawn of the Greenbelt Aquatic & Fitness Center and will be held every other Saturday starting with next Saturday's showing of Back To The Future. That one will start at 9:00 p.m. but by the time they get to October 4th's screening of Up, show time will have been pushed up to 7:30 p.m. Photo courtesy of NASA Goddard.

101 Centerway, Greenbelt, MD 20770

Movies On The Square

Maryland Avenue & East Middle Lane, Rockville, MD 20850

This Thursday night movie series serves Montgomery County's film buffs between June 12th and August 21st. There's no theme, so titles run the gamut from the intense Gravity to a sing-a-long version of Frozen. Movies start at sundown, so approximately at 8:30 p.m. Photo by Dan Reed.

Maryland Avenue & East Middle Lane, Rockville, MD 20850

Cinema Del Ray

2017 Belle View Boulevard, Alexandria, VA 22307

The first screening of the Alexandria film series has already passed, but there's still a chance to catch kid-friendly films at dusk on the third Saturdays of June, July and August. Just go to Mount Vernon Rec Center. Photo by Kurt Voelker.

2017 Belle View Boulevard, Alexandria, VA 22307

Alexandria Comcast Film Festival

1116-1/2 Prince Street, Alexandria, VA 22314

This is a rather short lived outdoor movie-watching experience as it's only going for one weekend. On July 18th, they'll show Despicable Me 2 and on July 19th, it will be The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. Photo via Alexandria Comcast Film Festival.

1116-1/2 Prince Street, Alexandria, VA 22314