San Francisco's Best Summer Movie Events

What could be more fun than bundling up with friends, neighbors, and fellow movie lovers in a public park to watch a classic film? Film Night In The Park is an annual summer film festival of favorite flicks presented outdoors at community parks around Marin County and in San Francisco. Admission is free but you should feel free to donate. Refreshments, candy and popcorn are available at all our screenings, and the shows usually start at dusk, around 8pm. The schedule for 2013's Film Night In The Park just became available. Here are are the public parks (and one film festival) that host a summertime movie outdoors.

Dolores Park
19th St. & Dolores St.
San Francisco, CA 94114
(415) 554-9521
www.doloresparkworks.org

Dolores Park has been one of San Francisco's favorite outdoor destinations since 1905. After the earthquake of 1906, it was a refugee camp for the homeless. Its 14 acres have seen just about everything from massive political rallies to hippie love-ins to Easter celebrations hosted by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. This summer, they'll show Raiders of the Lost Arc (June 15), The Princess Bride (Aug. 3), and Skyfall (Sept. 21).

Union Square
Geary St. & Powell St.
San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 477-2610
www.unionsquarepark.us

Since the 1880s, Union Square has been the heart of San Francisco, famous around the world. It is exactly the spot where "little cable cars climb halfway to the stars" and where Tony Bennett literally left his heart by painting the heart sculpture which can be found on display. The area around Union Square is an ideal spot to spend a San Francisco afternoon, with galleries, sidewalk cafes, distinctive architecture, stylish shops, restaurants and more. Don't miss Vicky Christina Barcelona (July 13) and Singin' In The Rain (Aug. 17).

Washington Square Park
Filbert St. & Stockton St.
San Francisco, CA 94133
(415) 274-0291
www.sfrecpark.org

Back in the 1950s and 60s, Washington Square Park, in the heart of the Italian community of North Beach, was Beatnik central. The surrounding community vividly retains the feel of the Beat generation. Lawrence Ferlinghetti's famed City Lights Bookstore is within walking distance. You can also find the Trieste Cafe, where local poets have been congregating for more than 50 years for espresso and conversation. Grab some Italian bakery goods from one of the many neighborhood shops and settle down in the shadow of the beautiful Saints Peter and Paul Church, strum your guitar or jot down a poem. Get excited for Moonrise Kingdom on Saturday, Sept. 7th.

Bernal Heights Outdoor Cinema
Various Bernal Heights Locations
www.bhoutdoorcine.org

For a decade now, Bernal Heights Outdoor Cinema has organized a film festival of local work in this bohemian section of our fair city. Bernal Heights, located just south of the Mission District, is home to many of the city's most notable artists and writers. Along Courtland Avenue, you'll find some welcoming coffee shops as well as the popular Red Hill Books. Ask its highly literate staff for a good recommendation and settle in for an afternoon of reading, coffee drinking and people watching before heading outdoors for a movie. The website will keep you in the know.

McCoppin Square
24th Ave. & Taraval St.
San Francisco, CA 94116
(415) 235-4576
www.sfrecpark.org

Take a walk along the seashore at Ocean Beach. Check out the wild and windy surf as you explore the ruins of the Sutro Baths. Then head inland a few blocks to this popular Sunset District Park, which has been recently renovated. It traditionally shows movies outdoors during the summer months, and a schedule will be posted on the website closer to the summer months.

Charles Kruger is well known in the Bay area as "The Storming Bohemian" ever since he entered the Bay Area cultural scene in the summer of 2009, attending 90 cultural events in 90 days and blogging about it. This project was successful enough to warrant a mention in The New York Times. His coverage of Bay area theatre can be found at Examiner.com.