There’s something a bit magical about watching some of your favorite movies in the open air under a warm summer evening breeze, comfortably seated in deckchairs, bean bags, or just lying down in the grass.
In parks, on rooftops, or in makeshift courtyards, Prague’s “letní kino” scene caters to all.
Where can you watch movies outside in Prague?
Let’s start with some of our personal favorites. For just CZK 80, Klubovna in Dejvice screens a beautiful selection of movies, both new releases and older gems, in its garden every Wednesday.
And there’s ample choice on Wednesdays: open-air screenings of films handpicked by the staff of MeetFactory (for free) or in front of the iconic Cross Club venue in Holešovice (CZK 100 entry).
Amateurs of Czech cinema will choose to head to Spojovna Brewery, screening domestic cinematic delicacies also weekly on Wednesdays, while those still reeling from the passing of master David Lynch might go to DOX who, in cooperation with Ponrepo, prepared a delightful program of his greatest films mixed with those that inspired his craft, including Lolita, Sunset Boulevard, Persona or The Wizard of Oz.
For less-niche screenings, we like to head to the Food Truck Point in the Holešovice market (free, every Thursday). Program-wise, some of the best selections can be found at the open-air cinema in the Kinská garden, with an amazing offer several days a week, or at the Kepler venue located in the Max von der Stoel park, showcasing usually on Friday a nicely assembled patchwork of independent Czech and international movies.
Watch movies in unique venues
The setting itself also plays a huge part, which is why we love going to the open-air movie screenings in Gabriel Loci on the site of a former monastery in Prague 5, at CAMP summer cinema (free entry) right next door to the Prague Institute of Planning and Development (IPR), or at Dlabačov, in Prague 6, which will have outdoor films almost every day from the end of June.
Complemented by a cultural program of live performances and readings, the beautiful Clam-Gallas Palace also has a few screenings planned throughout the summer in its courtyard. Starting in August and organised on weekends, the Botanical Garden will also play host to open-air screenings, all preceded by a short film taken from the Ekofilm international environmental festival.
For its part, Baden Baden Štvanice this year will showcase iconic American-made films with the common overarching theme of water. Also worth the experience is Kinobus, Prague’s wandering and mobile open-air movie provider, with 45 screenings of 22 movies—both foreign and domestic—planned in 12 different locations starting end of June. And it’s free.
Go to rooftops, or watch for free
In the mood for a movie after an afternoon of shopping? Sunset Cinema organizes open-air screenings of well-known Hollywood crowd-pleasers every day on the rooftop of the Arkády Pankrác mall. More films are also shown on the rooftops of Westfield Chodov and of the Černý Most shopping center.
Feeling the inflation crunch? A lot of Prague’s letní kino offer is free to attend, or with voluntary admission, which is why we also recommend arriving a bit early to be sure to have a seat.
On top of some already mentioned, those include outdoor screenings at Pragovka Gallery (usually on Tuesdays), Hostivař Brewery (also Tuesdays), Žluté lázně on the banks of the Vltava River, DDM Spirála in Prague 8, Lysolaje Letní Kino in the atrium of the Jára Cimrman Elementary School, Letní Kino Boroviček in Prague 6, or various locations planned as part of the Prague 12 summer cinema programming.
KVIFF: The big event
This year’s 59th edition of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF), a staple of the European movie festival scene held in the Bohemian spa town since the 1950s, will have a little special feel.
For the first time in some 30-odd years, KVIFF will not be held under the watchful eye of Jiří Bartoška, the respected Czech actor who served as the festival’s president since 1994 until his death at the age of 78 last May. Tributes and nostalgic remembrances to Bartoška, who was key in elevating the fest to its current heights, will surely mark this year’s edition, held from July 4-12.
As usual, some 200 Czech and international productions will be screened in about a dozen locations in the Western Bohemian city—with the core of the action always revolving around the city’s Hotel Thermal. Eleven movies, including two Czech productions, will compete in the Main Competition, whose jury will be chaired by Mexican producer Nicolás Celis, primarily known for the Oscar-winning Roma film.
There’s still some uncertainty on the VIP guest list, but we already know that Michael Douglas will attend for the first time since receiving the Crystal Globe 1998 to present a restored version of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Milos Forman’s 1975 masterpiece he co-produced, and that went on to become the second movie in history to win the "Big Five" Academy Awards.
Can't make it to KVIFF?
Experience the best of the 59th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival at Šary Vary, the official festival echoes, happening July 14–20, 2025. Screenings hit Prague’s Aero, Světozor, and Přítomnost cinemas, plus Brno’s Scala Summer Cinema. The lineup drops in June and July on each cinema’s website—tickets go on sale with the program. Don’t miss the award winners and standout premieres.
Other notable festivals
Those who’d prefer to avoid KVIFF’s hustle and bustle, but would still like to spend a nerdy cinephile summer, have a few other options, most of them outside of Prague.
Held from July 10-13 for the 33rd year in a row, the Boskovice Festival will showcase films, theatre performances, and music in the historic center of the southern Moravian town. It was first launched to promote the preservation and safeguarding of the city’s Jewish quarter, and has since become something of a tradition, although lesser known than its more famous counterpart held in Vary around the same dates.
Later that month from July 25-31, movie buffs can attend the Summer Film School of Uherské Hradiště, which for more than 50 years has delighted audiences with a carefully curated program of movie screenings, debates and discussions on the history and recent developments in world and Czech cinema trends.
Moved from its original birthplace of Slavonice, the Litomyšl Fest (July 30-Aug. 3) will present some 75 films in half a dozen venues—both in and outdoor—spanning genres, from documentaries to new feature films or screenings for children.
The traveling Noir Film Festival returns under the motto “One noir, two castles,” from Aug. 27-30 with this year’s edition set at Křivoklát Castle. Highlights include The Woman in the Window by Fritz Lang, the British thriller Taste of Fear, a retrospective of director Robert Siodmak, and Knocking on Someone’s Door starring Humphrey Bogart. The festival alternates between Křivoklát and Český Šternberk castles, offering a unique cinematic experience.
If you still didn’t get your fill by summer’s end, be sure to head to Prague’s Edison Filmhub for Al Qamar, a staple of the boutique cinema’s annual programming meant to showcase cinema and culture from the Middle East and Northern Africa, which will be held from Aug. 28-31.