Summer has arrived and brought along all possible activities to really enjoy this magical time of the year, with its warm romantic nights calling for fantastic open-air cinema sessions under a magnificent starry sky.
The open air cinemas has seen its popularity grow in the last few months due to social distancing caused by the pandemic, being, for this reason, an excellent alternative to the traditional cinema.
A list then follows with some places in Portugal that hold open-air cinema sessions.
1. Parque Mayer, Lisbon
Parque Mayer, in Lisbon, is one of the places that holds sporadically free cinema sessions and in open air, having already screened movies like Variações, Back to the Future, Yesterday or Midway, among others.
Sessions run usually from June and every Friday and Saturday at around 9:00 pm, but seats are limited.
Parque Mayer is a compound dedicated to teatro de revista [vaudeville theatre], dotted with restaurants, carousels, terrace cafés, pavilions, fado houses, shooting stalls and other amusements.
2. Casa Comum, Universidade do Porto
From Tuesday to Saturday, Porto’s Casa Comum is flooded with poetry, chattery, music and magic, and cinema nights are not forgotten, giving privilege to documentaries such has Proibidos, a documentary that was premiered at this venue.
The evenings at Pátio do Museu have returned in this month of July to the patio of the Museum of Natural History and Science of the University of Porto with over two hundred open air events open to the general public.
Last July one more “Despertar” [Awakening] was presented in the company of TUP, a space for freedom to raise awareness about issues lost in the somnambulism of the past two years.
“Despertar” is the title of the cycle that TUP will present at the Soirées of Pátio do Museu.
Resulting from an initiative of Casa Comum da Universidade do Porto and MHNC-UP, “Noites no Pátio do Museu” had its first edition in 2020 at the peak of the covid-19 pandemic and was repeated in 2021, proving that “Culture is good to your health!”
Noites no Pátio do Museu 2022 always start at 9:30 pm. Entrance is free and is past by Jardim da Cordoaria, although limited to the venue’s capacity.
3. Parque da Devesa, Vila Nova de Famalicão
Cinema Paraíso, located in Parque da Devesa, Famalicão, is one more cultural proposal to enjoy good moments outdoors.
Sessions usually take place in July and pay tribute to prised films such as 1917, honoured with three golden statuettes in the categories of Best Photography, Best Sound Editing and Best Visual Effects at the 2020 Oscars.
Entrance is free and normally takes place on Wednesdays at around 10:00 pm.
Last July, saw the start of Famalicão ZEN, which aims at promoting alternative and complementary therapies, healthy eating habits and natural products.
4. Cinema Fora de Portas, in the squares of Coimbra
Coimbra is now promoting the initiative “Cinema Fora de Portas” which lasts until September and graces numerous squares of this splendid city.
The outdoor cinema evenings have periodically returned to Mosteiro de Santa Clara-a-Velha, which last year made a strong bet on comedy films and some classics like “The Birds”, “Gilda” and “My Darling Clementine”.
5. Jardim do Centro de Arte e Cultura, Évora
Jardim do Centro de Arte e Cultura, in Évora, has been transformed into an open air cinema hall to welcome Cinema Paradiso, with its cultural programming promoted by Fundação Eugénio Almeida.
Numerous films have been screened for all ages and genres, providing different and fun evenings in the form of great cinema classics. Sessions are usually held on Saturdays at 9:30 pm and take place until September.
