Ottawa Celebrates Summer with Outdoor Cinema

Ottawa Life’s Festival City Series is back! We'll provide a unique look at some of your favourite events.
We’ll go beyond the music with artist interviews, volunteer profiles, concert reviews and spotlights on
the tastes, sights and sounds of the festival season. 

Your city! Your festivals!
Like a good sunscreen, Ottawa Life has you covered.

Ottawa is going retro this summer and bringing the city back to the days of drive-in theatres with various outdoor movie screenings. These screenings are happening throughout the summer, at various locations, so round up family, friends and some bean bags or lawn chairs and make sure to check them out!

Capital Pop-Up Cinema

Starting from humble beginnings, Capital Pop-Up Cinema, Ottawa’s only travelling cinema, has grown into a highly anticipated, annual community event. The organization kicked off the 2017 season this past weekend with a screening of The Lego Movie on Spark’s Street and has seven other movie screenings scheduled until mid-August, including contemporary blockbusters like Disney’s Moana, and classics like The Wizard of Oz and Grease. Movie admission is absolutely free, with comfy inflatable couches available to rent for $5 if you don’t want to bring your own and fresh popcorn available for purchase for $2. Follow Capital Pop-Up Cinema on Facebook to keep up with where they’ll pop up next!

Centretown Movies Outdoor Film Festival

Centretown Movies is back again this year for a packed season of outdoor movie screenings at the beautiful Dundonald Park. The festival runs every Friday and Saturday from July 21st to August 19th. Though this year’s movie listing hasn’t been released yet, last year offered a variety of films such as the classic Labyrinth, the Oscar-nominated Brooklyn and Canadian indie comedy My Canadian Internship to name a few and this year will surely be just as diverse and exciting. Festival admission is pay-what-you-can with all profits going back into the program and partnering community organizations. Visit Centretown Movies’ official website to keep up with festival updates and movie listings.

Rideau Hall Movie Nights

Following the annual tradition, the Governor General’s official residence Rideau Hall will be hosting a special two-day outdoor cinema event celebrating Canadian film. The screenings will take place on the gorgeous grounds of the estate on the evenings of August 26th and 27th. The movie schedule will be released closer to event time, but the first night will be an English-language Canadian film and the second night will be a French Canadian film. With special appearances by the Governor General himself, as well as personnel involved with the films being screened, such as directors and producers, this is an event for anyone big on Canadian film and culture. Admission to this event is free. Visit the Rideau Hall activities page to keep posted.