Los Angeles seems to be relishing its role in cinema in a new way this summer with the plethora of outdoor movie screenings around town. Certainly, many have enjoyed the Cinespia scene at Hollywood Forever Cemetery – now in its 10th year – and many have already tried out the new Oscars Outdoors offerings up at the Academy Museum on Vine at Fountain.
There are a few other outdoor venues to add to your summer in cinema:
Street Food Cinema is a community of outdoor movie, live music and foodies who come together on Saturday nights throughout the summer on the grounds of Exposition Park (near the Memorial Coliseum and Natural History Museum, 700 Exposition Park (at Figueroa.) The area is ringed with some of the best food trucks roaming LA. Schedules of the films to play, food trucks in attendance, bands to play and pre-sale tickets can all be found on Streetfoodcinema.com. Each movie experience is preceded by a performance by a live band making the full evening well worth the $10 entrance fee.
Monday Movies at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel serve up cinema pool-side weekly on Mondays. The The venue doesn’t publish a schedule but asks different celebrities and filmmakers to choose a movie to be screened and they then also ‘host’ the evening under the stars. An adult affair, drinks and food may be ordered while the film is projected on a big screen at the far end of the pool. Sick of movies but like the venue? Check out the Roosevelt pool on Thursday nights when a team of synchronized swimmers ooh and aah the crowd with a performance choreographed to old Hollywood music. Free.
Devils Night Drive-In Downtown LA is a well-kept secret of the clandestinely cool crowd who motor into the second floor of a parking garage and settle in for more of an 0ld-time drive-in movie experience. Located at 240 W. 4th St (between Broadway and Spring) the drive-in happens on Saturday nights at sundown and include food provided by car hops, astroturf seating in front of the screen if you don’t want to sit in your car, DJs spinning tunes before the feature, and an FM transmitter pumping the movie’s soundtrack right to your sound system. It’s a BYOB situation and we hear the crowd really interacts with the movies so if you’re looking to party to your favorite flicks, this may be the place for you. Schedule is not distributed ahead of time.
The Oscars Outdoors venue takes place many Friday and Saturday nights on the newly-groomed grass theater behind the Academy of Motion Pictures building at 1341 Vine (cross street Homewood, south of Sunset.) Patrons are encouraged to bring a picnic and wine and beer are allowed on site. Blankets and low chairs are suggested. Tickets are pre-sold online and many shows are sold-out but a standby line often forms at the entrance gate for some last-minute tickets.
Cinespia at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery continues to enchant locals for its eerie venue, a great line-up of pictures, the music beforehand, a young engaged crowd, and its easy proximity to the Larchmont and Hancock Park area.
Larchmont Buzz: Oscars Outdoors
Larchmont Buzz: Fireworks over the Graveyard
About Julie Grist
Julie co-founded the Larchmont Buzz with fellow buzzer Mary Hawley in 2011 and served as Editor, Publisher and writer for the hive for many years until the sale of the Buzz in August 2015. She is still circling the hive as an occasional writer.
