Return of the Summer Movies: Bryant Park and Beyond
With Summer nights in full swing, NYC’s local parks are ready to welcome moviegoers to their lawns for nightly screenings. Bryant Park’s own movie night series began July 13 and will run every Monday until September 14.
| 13 Jul 2026 | 03:06
Summer movie nights have returned to the parks of NYC, with Bryant Park opening its lawn July 13 for a screening of “Wayne’s World.” (
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Calling all movie lovers! Grab your favorite picnic blanket, some microwave popcorn, and head to the park — Summer movies in Bryant Park (and more!) are so back.
“Five boroughs,” NYC Parks wrote on X. “Hundreds of starlit movie nights. Movies Under the Stars returns with free outdoor screenings in our parks across the city.”
The 33rd year of ‘Movie Nights at Bryant Park’ began July 13, with a showing of “Wayne’s World” on the park’s lawn. The park will host a weekly movie showing at 8 p.m. every Monday until Sept. 14, with the lawn opening up at 5 p.m. each movie night.
Bryant Park’s movie night series is sponsored by Paramount+ and will feature movies available on the platform: including the iconic “The Truman Show” (July 27) and “Bridget Jones’s Diary” (Aug. 3). Earlier in the Summer, Bryant Park hosted a free NBA Game 3 watch party, ahead of the NY Knicks’ eventual Game 5 win over the San Antonio Spurs.
The Bryant Park movie series is one of many taking place this Summer. Many parks have been hosting free watch parties for the FIFA World Cup, especially with the lead up to the final July 19, which will be held at the NYNJ (née MetLife) Stadium.
Other movie night series taking place this Summer include: Movie Under the Stars (held at various locations), Summer on the Hudson (Pier I, Riverside Park South), and Big Screen at The Battery (Woodland Lawn, The Battery). A full list of upcoming movies and their locations can be found on the NYC Parks website.
While many of the city’s smaller parks prepare to host movies this Summer, Central Park is notably missing from the list. In previous years, the Central Park Conservancy has hosted a four-day Summer film festival. However, this year it seems the festival will instead be held in October, according to the conservancy’s donor calendar. Straus News reached out to the Central Park Conservancy to confirm whether the park would be hosting movies this Summer but did not hear back prior to press time.
While the good weather lasts, be sure to catch a movie under the stars at one of your local parks. And be prepared to run to secure your spot on the lawn!