Luton Borough Council

07/08/2025 - Free outdoor cinema returns to Luton town centre this summer

Luton Council is thrilled to announce the return of the free Summer Outdoor Cinema to the town centre this August Bank Holiday weekend.

For the third time this year, Hat Gardens, Bute Street will be home to the outdoor cinema for families and movie enthusiasts to enjoy their favourite films on Saturday 23 August.

Three fantastic family films will be shown throughout the day:

The afternoon kicks off with ‘Inside Out 2’ (U) at 3pm, followed by a 5pm showing of ‘Paddington in Peru’ (PG) – guaranteed to keep the whole family entertained. The evening concludes a great lineup of movies with ‘Wicked’ (PG) at 7pm.

Families are invited to head down to the pocket park to grab a bean bag or a deckchair (whilst available) and relax in the open air by the River Lea and even grab a takeaway from a local eatery.

This follows the success of the outdoor cinema held twice earlier this year – once over the May Bank Holiday weekend and again during the 80th anniversary celebrations of VE Day.

The summer outdoor cinema is part of Luton Council’s ‘Summer in Town’ programme providing a packed schedule of free family-friendly events in Luton town centre.

Councillor James Taylor, Portfolio Holder for Regeneration and Inclusive Economy at Luton Council shared his excitement: “We’re delighted to be bringing the outdoor cinema back into the town centre for the third time this year. It’s always a standout in our summer events calendar and remains popular amongst families.

“We continue to make our ‘Summer in Town’ programme accessible to all by keeping these events free to attend, with hundreds of families already enjoying so far.”

The summer outdoor cinema and the full ‘Summer in Town’ programme are funded by the government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF).

For the full schedule of events in Luton town centre, visit: luton.gov.uk/summer-in-town.