The 7th art loves Paris, and Paris loves it right back! During the summer months, cinemas leave their auditoriums to enjoy the fresh air. To mark the occasion, numerous screenings are organised throughout the summer in all four corners of the capital. It's the perfect opportunity to catch a movie under the stars!
The festivities kick off with the unmissable Cinéma en plein air de la Villette ! The 34th edition will take place from 23 July to 17 August 2025, with around twenty outdoor film screenings.
If you like short films, don't miss the 24th edition of the Silhouette Festival,which takes place from 29 August to 6 September 2025 in the Parc de la Butte du Chapeau-Rouge in the 19th arrondissement. Organised since 2002, this free event is dedicated exclusively to short films. As a bonus, each screening is preceded by a concert.
At the REcyclerie, in late August/early September, the Gare aux Docs event on the railway tracks of the Petite Ceinture invites you to discover documentaries on a variety of engaging topics. The screenings are free and by reservation only. The Mémorial de la Shoah is organising three open-air screenings on its forecourt on 22, 23 and 24 August 2025 at a cost of €5 (€3 reduced rate) and by reservation. The programme includes films by François Truffaut, Matthew Vaughn and Giulio Ricciarelli.
Every year, at the Invalides, the Cour d'Honneur invites you to outdoor screenings as part of the Les Invalides font leur cinéma, a charity event organised to benefit wounded soldiers and bereaved families of the armed forces. With friends or family, head to La Monnaie de Paris for Une toile sous les étoiles (A movie under the stars) and immerse yourself in 250 years of history with four feature films, comfortably seated in a deckchair. The programme also includes musical entertainment and gourmet treats. From 23 to 26 July 2025, with screenings of blockbusters: Amadeus, The Count of Monte Cristo, The Visitors and Inception.
The Cinéma sur le toit x Sofilm is also back this summer at the bubble bar on the roof of the Machine du Moulin Rouge, in the Montmartre district. It takes place every Wednesday throughout the summer and is free (reservation required). Not far away, the Square Marcel Bleustein Blanchet is hosting the Cinescale festival for two evenings of outdoor screenings on 20 and 21 August 2025 (free with reservation), with a short film competition on the theme of intergenerational relationships and/or cultural exchanges through travel.
In the heart of the Latin Quarter, the Arènes de Lutèce and Square Capitan will host the Dolcevita-sur-Seine open-air film festival. From 4 to 8 July 2025, the festival celebrates the twinning, friendship and artistic ties between Paris and Rome. Alongside masterpieces of Italian cinema screened outdoors, the festival programme includes screenings at the Paris Cinéma Club (Écoles Cinéma Club) and Paris - Christine Cinéma Club, where the public is invited to discover and vote for the films competing for the 2025 Dolcevita Audience Award. Events are also scheduled at the Italian Cultural Institute in Paris : workshops for young audiences, live connections with Rome, where the twin festival Nouvelle Vague sul Tevere is taking place.
From 17 to 27 July 2025, Ciné-voisins, the open-air film festival for at the foot of the buildings, is back for its 9th edition in the 12th and 20th arrondissements. On the square in front of the church of Ménilmontant, the Festival des Canotiers offers open-air film screenings and concerts from 4 to 7 June 2025. The Festival Ciné-Jardins, from 21 August to 6 September 2025, is also back for its 11th edition in rural locations in north-east Paris with ten screenings at 8.30pm, each preceded by a guided tour of the garden in question at 6pm and a participatory buffet at 7.30pm.
In 2025, the Nuit Blanche event (7 June 2025) will be celebrating cinema! This is a unique opportunity to enjoy open-air film screenings in unique locations. (Re)discover the legendary film Hôtel du Nord, immersed in its setting. The Les films dans la rue event transforms public spaces into temporary projection screens. On the Parvis de la Gare Montparnasse, Michel Gondry will unveil a new animated short film made from cut-out paper (10 minutes). An unmissable event for all film lovers!
Other venues in Paris and the Île-de-France region are offering open-air film screenings. This is the case at the Paradiso Hotel with its Sunday evening outdoor screenings on the rooftop, at 9.30pm from 15 June to 14 September 2025. The Paradiso Festival is once again taking place at two iconic locations in Greater Paris: the Cour Carré du Louvre for the cinéma Paradiso Louvre from 2 to 5 July 2025 and at La Seine Musicale in Boulogne-Billancourt from 15 to 18 July 2025 for the Cinéclub Paradiso La Seine Musicale. From 29 June to 6 July 2025, the Plaza Cinéma Club returns to the courtyard garden of the famous Plaza Athénée hotel for eight evenings combining screenings of classic films and exceptional cuisine.
In the shade of the century-old trees of the Parc Floral, music fills the air all summer long in a festive, family-friendly atmosphere. Children will dance to the beat of the Pestacles, live shows and concerts for young ears.
Groove lovers will enjoy the mixed sounds of the Paris Jazz Festival, while music lovers will find something to suit them at the open-air concerts of Classique au Vert.
Three festivals, one magical location, one season to savour.
As mentioned above, the Cinéclub Paradiso la Seine Musicale is offering four exceptional evenings on the forecourt of the Seine Musicale in Boulogne-Billancourt for its sixth edition. Admission is free upon registration, with 650 seats available. DJ sets will complement the screenings.
On the edge of the Meudon forest, the Hangar Y is reopening its guinguette and offering a varied programme to make the most of the summer: The 7th art is in the spotlight with open-air screenings between June and September.
In Greater Paris, several pretty towns (Nogent-sur-Marne, Saint-Maur-des-Fossés, etc.) in the Val-de-Marne are planning open-air cinema screenings in a rural setting that is easily accessible from the capital. All the information can be found on the Val-de-Marne Tourisme & Loisirs website. In Montrouge, the Séances Ciné du Jeudi open-air film screenings are not to be missed between mid-July and mid-August.
Near Rambouillet, a pretty town in the Yvelines famous for its castle, two open-air cinema evenings are scheduled for this summer: 18 and 19 July 2025. On 18 July 2025, one of the biggest hits of the year will be screened: Un p'tit truc en plus. On 19 July 2025, Astérix et le secret de la potion magique will be screened. The screenings start at 10pm and are preceded by a variety of entertainment. Food trucks will be available for refreshments.
Less than an hour from the capital, the Château d'Écouen, home to the National Museum of the Resistance, offers free outdoor film screenings with an eclectic programme of animated films, action films, comedies, cinema classics and fantasy films. Heading towards Fontainebleau, the Château de Blandy-les-Tours invites you to enjoy family film evenings from 13 to 27 August 2025 during the 13th edition of the Créneaux de la Nuit, where films on the theme of Au temps des chevaliers (In the time of knights) will be screened on the castle ramparts.
Finally, on Friday 4, Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 July 2025, visitors can enjoy an original open-air cinema at the Bourget Air and Space Museum, where the fuselage of a Boeing 747 serves as a projection screen on the museum's tarmac!
The festivals take place in iconic locations such as La Villette, the Louvre (Cour Carrée), Les Invalides, the Shoah Memorial, Le Bourget, and in neighbourhoods such as Montmartre, Ménilmontant and suburban towns (Rambouillet, Meudon, Boulogne-Billancourt, Nogent-sur-Marne,
Many screenings (La Villette, Louvre) are free or require registration/random selection. Others, such as at the Shoah Memorial, Les Invalides and rooftops, require advance booking, sometimes for a fee.
Bring a deckchair or blanket (some are provided), warm clothes and something to eat.
Outdoor screenings often use inflatable screens that are quick to set up and/or take down. If the weather is bad, screenings may be postponed or cancelled.
