Screens in the City will bring free open-air cinema back to Cambridge from Thursday 13 August to Sunday 16 August, with screenings from 1pm and evening films at 6.30pm across two city locations. The event is free to attend, but advance booking is required because Cambridge BID expects demand to be high.
The summer cinema is aimed at the general public, including families, with giant screens set up next to the Clayton Hotel on Station Road, CB1 2FB, and at the University of Cambridge’s Downing Site, CB2 3ER. Visit Cambridge’s event listing says seating will be available on a first-come, first-served basis, so arrival time will still matter once tickets are released.
Two Cambridge sites, four summer days
Screens in the City starts at the Station Road site next to the Clayton Hotel, close to the CB1 area, before moving to the University of Cambridge’s Downing Site for the weekend screenings. The Downing Site location is listed as the lawn outside the Courtyard Building.
Both locations are due to be turned into open-air cinema spaces with giant screens and a summer atmosphere. Visitors are encouraged to bring picnic blankets and deck chairs, then pick up snacks, treats or takeaway food and drink from city centre cafes, restaurants and retailers before settling in.
Cambridge BID is delivering the event as part of its summer events programme. The format is simple: free films, outdoor seating, and a schedule that moves from children’s stories in the early afternoon to broader family favourites and evening titles.
Station Road screenings on Thursday and Friday
The first two days take place next to the Clayton Hotel on Station Road, CB1 2FB. Thursday opens with The Snail and the Whale at 1pm and finishes with Back to the Future at 6.30pm.
| Date and venue | Screenings |
|---|---|
| Thursday 13 August, Station Road | 1pm The Snail and the Whale; 2pm Dog Man; 4pm Zootropolis 2; 6.30pm Back to the Future |
| Friday 14 August, Station Road | 1pm Zog; 2pm Chicken Run; 4pm How to Train Your Dragon; 6.30pm Grease |
Friday keeps the family focus through the afternoon with Zog, Chicken Run and How to Train Your Dragon, before Grease takes the evening slot. For readers comparing outdoor film plans, Demoduck also has a guide to another open-air cinema programme.
Downing Site hosts the weekend films
The event moves to the University of Cambridge’s Downing Site on Saturday 15 August and Sunday 16 August. The source listing places the screenings on the lawn outside the Courtyard Building, CB2 3ER.
| Date and venue | Screenings |
|---|---|
| Saturday 15 August, Downing Site | 1pm The Smeds and the Smoos; 2pm Encanto; 4pm Night at the Museum; 6.30pm School of Rock |
| Sunday 16 August, Downing Site | 1pm Tabby McTat; 2pm Matilda; 4pm Inside Out; 6.30pm Audience Choice Screening, to be announced |
Saturday’s schedule runs from Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler territory in the early afternoon to School of Rock in the evening. Sunday closes the programme with Tabby McTat, Matilda, Inside Out and an audience choice screening that has not yet been announced.
Booking, seating and what to bring
All screenings are free, but the event is not simply walk-up. Advance booking is required, and the organisers are directing people to follow @lovecambridge_ on social media for ticket release announcements and event updates.
The listing says seating will be first-come, first-served. Visitors can bring picnic blankets and deck chairs, with food and drink encouraged from local city centre retailers before the screenings begin.
The practical details to note are the split locations: Thursday and Friday at Station Road, CB1 2FB, then Saturday and Sunday at the Downing Site, CB2 3ER. The first films each day begin at 1pm, with the final listed screenings at 6.30pm and the Sunday audience choice film still to be announced.
Source: Visit Cambridge Events
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This preview is based on the Visit Cambridge event listing and the supplied event brief for Screens in the City.
- Checked the listed event dates of 13-16 August 2026.
- Checked both Cambridge venues and postcodes: Station Road, CB1 2FB, and Downing Site, CB2...
- Checked that screenings are free but require advance booking.
- Checked the published film schedule and the audience choice slot still marked as to be ann...
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- Visit Cambridge Events
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- Cambridge
- Updated
- 2026-06-29 21:31
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