Outdoor Movies

It’s time to unfold your lawn chairs and unpack your blankets. Summer is back in Seattle which means so are outdoor movies. Whether you prefer the classics, the kid-friendly or the new and lesser-known, Seattle has a cinema screening for you.

Movies at the Mural Courtesy Seattle Center

If you have a thing for blockbuster hits, attend Movies at Westlake Park (401 Pine St), Movies at Marymoor Park (6046 W Lake Sammamish Pkwy NE), or West Seattle Outdoor Movies (4410 California Ave SW). Their summer-long lineups feature everything from popular releases to family favorites. Seattle Center’s Movies at the Mural (*305 Harrison St) is another great option for watching family-approved films, but on a 40-foot screen beneath the iconic Space Needle — plus, each movie is preceded with a bonus feature film made by students at Seattle’s Cornish College of the Arts.

Grab a beer and cozy up beneath Peddler Brewing Company’s (*1514 NW Leary Way) large outdoor tent in Ballard for Thursday-night movies from Memorial Day through Labor Day. And at Cal Anderson Park in Capitol Hill, lay out your lawn chairs for Three Dollar Bill Outdoor Cinema’s (*1635 11th Ave) silver screen selections of campy cult classics under the stars.

For 21-and-up-only screenings, head to Capitol Hill where Seattle Outdoor Cinema (101 Westlake Ave N) offers weekly screenings on the grassy lawn of Discovery Center every Saturday night.

Prefer a classic movie-going experience?

No matter your reason for opting inside, Seattle has a plethora of movie theaters worth the visit. Cinerama (*2100 Fourth Ave) is an iconic, single-screen venue with comfortable seats and state-of-the-art motion picture technology – just don’t sit down without grabbing a bag of their legendary chocolate popcorn. Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) also boasts three permanent locations throughout the city: SIFF Cinema Uptown (*511 Queen Anne Ave N), SIFF Film Center (*305 Harrison St), and SIFF Cinema Egyptian (*805 E Pine St) – all of which show a variety of indie and foreign films. For more independent and community-driven productions, Northwest Film Forum (1515 12th Ave) in Capitol Hill presents films, festivals, and educational workshops surrounding the art of filmmaking.

And if you’re in search of a movie-food mashup for the ultimate evening out, the Central District’s Central Cinema (1411 21st Ave) boasts a dine-in movie experience equipped with salads, sandwiches, pizza and dessert, while Big Picture (2505 First Ave) downtown delivers viewers beer, wine and specialty cocktails seat-side.

*Visit Seattle Partner