Free Summer Movies in New York 2023 | The COMPLETE Summer Guide
Every year during the summer there are free movies in the many parks of the city; from Brooklyn to Queens and to Manhattan, you have several places to choose from. You can find out everything you need to know about free movie performances here!
My tip: also check out Free Concerts in the Parks!
What are the Free Summer Movies?
First and foremost, movie screenings are my favorite summer event! The free movie screenings have a long tradition and now span all the boroughs of the city. You can enjoy summer movie screenings both in Brooklyn Bridge Park, overlooking the Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan skyline, in Bryant Park, and on the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Intrepid.
One of the most famous and, for me, most beautiful places to see movies is definitely Bryant Park. And the best part? They’re free! If you’re in New York City at this time of year, catching a free screening is definitely a MUST DO (or rather, MUST SEE)!
When do the Free Summer Movies take place?
You can enjoy the free movies from Memorial Day weekend in late May through September. Be sure to plan one of these events into your itinerary, it’s worth it!
Where do the Free Summer Movies take place in New York?
You can choose from several parks and locations. I really liked Brooklyn Bridge Park with a view of the Brooklyn Bridge and the Manhattan skyline as well as the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Intrepid where you can enjoy the summer at the movies.
These are the locations already confirmed for 2023:
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01
Bryant Park Film Festival
Other Attraction in Midtown Manhattan
One of the best things to do in July in New York is visiting the free Bryant Park Film Festival and picnic performances in Bryant Park. In the heart of Manhattan, people gather in the summer months with blankets and chairs they’ve brought themselves to relax at the outdoor movie theater and concerts by the New York Philharmonics. Bryant Park is just under a 5 minute walk from Times Square, surrounded by tall trees, so it’s a bit secluded from the rest, but you’re still in the middle of it all: Awesome!
Schedule 2023:
- June 12: Almost Famous
- June 19: Dreamgirls
- June 26: Mean Girls
- July 3: School of Rock
- July 10: Roman Holiday
- July 17: Reality Bites
- July 24: Star Trek III: The Search For Spock
- July 31: Swingers
- August 7: 48 Hrs.
- August 14: Zoolander
- August 21: Good Burger
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Movies With a View - Brooklyn Bridge Park, Pier 1 Harbor View Lawn
Other Events in Brooklyn HeightsOur Highlight
This year marks the 23rd year of the Movie With A View and is part of the Free Summer Movies that take place throughout New York. It’s a free event organized by the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy with a new theme each year. For 2023, it’s “We Are Family”.
Food and drinks will be provided by the Time Out Market, doors open at 6 pm.
Honoring the concept of “We Are Family”, the film selection will encompass: Despicable Me, E.T. the Extra Terrestrial, Everything Everywhere All At Once, Goodfellas, Psycho, Smoke Signals, Top Gun, and a viewer’s choice between The Addams Family (1991), Little Women (2019), or Romeo + Juliet (1996). The specific screening dates for each movie will be announced in the beginning of June.
Schedule 2023:
- July 6
- July 13
- July 20
- July 27
- August 3
- August 10
- August 17
- August 24
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Pizza Wine Movie Nights at the Rooftop Reds (until October 2023)
Other Attraction in DumboOur Highlight
The only problem with this beautiful view of the NYC skyline? It just happens to be interrupted by NYC’s only rooftop vineyard! Located in Brooklyn, Rooftop Reds is actually the world’s first commercially viable urban rooftop vineyard. That means in addition to getting a wide-open view of the NYC skyline, you’re also supporting one of the most innovative wine projects in NYC.
And what would a glass of wine be without a great pairing? Rooftop Reds offers the amazing Pizza Wine Movie Nights from June until October!
Schedule 2023:
- From June to October, you can choose from a total of 38 films. Here you can see the complete line-up including a link to the tickets.
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The Seaport Cinema at Pier 17
Pier in Financial District
Three different film screenings will take place on the roof of Pier 17 this year – and by the way, you’ll have a sensational view of the Brooklyn Bridge, the East River and Brooklyn!
Doors open at 6 p.m., the films start at 7 p.m. . The free tickets are available here!
Schedule 2023:
- June 12: Air Bud
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05
Intrepid Summer Movie Nights
Museum in Hell's Kitchen
The Intrepid Sea Air & Space Museum is the only floating museum in NYC. You will find a wide array of historically significant military and maritime vehicles as well as a collection of museum ships on this aircraft carrier which is docked on the Hudson River. This is great for kids and adults alike as it discusses and shows a wide variety of artifacts regarding the US military and maritime history.
You can watch movies on the deck of the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Intrepid for free. This year this event celebrates its 41st anniversary – and it is one of the most popular locations. So get here early!
Doors open at 5 pm.
Schedule 2023:
- Friday, May 26: Top Gun
- Friday, June 30: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
- Friday, July 28: Crimson Tide
- Friday, August 25: Top Gun: Maverick
For more on Summer Movie Nights at the Intrepid Museum, click here.
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Free Summer Movies Governors Island
Other Events in Governors Island
Also on our favorite island Governors Island you can experience the Free Summer Movies this year. Every second Friday of the month from June to September you can watch free movies. Entertainment starts at 7 p.m. at the Parade Ground. The movies then start around dusk.
Schedule 2023:
- Friday, June 9: Set It Off
- Friday, July 7: Out of Sight
- Friday, August 11: Bend It Like Beckham
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Paramount+ Movie Nights in Brooklyn
Other Events in Prospect Heights
Paramount+ Movie Nights in Brooklyn will show movies at three different Brooklyn parks throughout the summer beginning in late June. The first four films will be shown at Fort Greene Park beginning June 29. That will be followed by four films at Prospect Park on Long Meadow, and then there will be four films at McCarren Park. There are classics from the ’90s as well as current hit movies to see. Best of all, the movies are FREE!
Schedule 2023:
Fort Greene Park:
- June 29: Marcel the Shell with Shoes On
- July 6: House Party
- July 13: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
- July 20: RRR
Prospect Park:
- July 26: Top Gun: Maverick
- August 2: Bring It On
- August 9: The Nutty Professor (1996)
- August 16: Guardians of the Galaxy
McCarren Park:
- August 20: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
- August 30: Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023)
- September 6: Everything Everywhere All at Once
- September 13: The Big Lebowski
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Rooftop Film Club: Not free, but amazing!
Other Art & Culture in Midtown ManhattanOur Highlight
We love the Free Summer Movies, which are available at different places in New York. They are an absolute MUST DO in the summer, so you should definitely plan the Free Summer Movies for yourself. But you can also go one floor higher: with the cinema events on the roofs of hotels or bars. The Rooftop Film Club on top of the Skylawn Embassy Suites show films in lofty heights on several days during the summer.
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Tribeca Film Festival
Other Attraction in Tribeca
The Tribeca Film Festival is hosting three different open-air screenings this year!
Schedule 2023:
- no announcements so far
Picture: Christian Reimer – many thanks for this!!!
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