A blanket under your arm, the smell of freshly made popcorn in the air, the sound of rain drumming on the rooftops – it is no wonder that we tried to sneak in between the fence rails when mom wouldn’t give us money for a night at the cinema. This is what the outdoor cinema experience was like on the southern shore when we were kids. Ticket prices are not too bad nowadays, so we don’t advise you to do the sneaking in part, but you simply cannot get tired of watching movies outside. Digital movie projectors, state-of-the-art sound systems, comfy chairs, movie premiers and old classics await this year in the four outdoor cinemas on the southern shore.

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Club Aliga Outdoor Cinema – The giant

8171 Balatonvilágos, Aligai út 1.
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With a covered auditorium big enough for seating 600, the largest outdoor cinema around Lake Balaton is located in a beautiful setting below the Balatonvilágos high shore, on the grounds of Club Aliga. Even though screenings this year are held on Fridays and Saturdays only, the operators want the place to be open every day from next year on. Kids and family movies are their main profile, so this is the cinema for you if you feel like a fun evening. Do you have a holiday house in the area or do you see yourself coming back for several screenings? Instead of a single ticket, buy a 4- or 10-film pass or a pass for the entire season. Unlike at most outdoor cinemas, the cafeteria here sells two kinds of beer along with popcorn and soft drinks, so even if you are not particularly into animated movies, you can have a glass of nice cold ale.

Tickets: HUF 850
4-film pass: HUF 2,900
10-film pass: HUF 7,650
Seasonal pass: HUF 12,000

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Kálmán Imre Open-air Stage, Siófok – The free

8600 Siófok, Jókai park
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The original location of the outdoor cinema has been taken over by a flea market, but have no fear, you won’t have to do without the outdoor cinema experience if you are in Siófok. Attend free screenings of old Hungarian movies every Tuesday and Saturday at the Kálmán Imre Open-air Stage. Located in the spectacular Jókai park, the area of the open-air stage is huge, just like the screen and the starry skies above. The cafeteria here has the widest selection among all the Balaton outdoor cinemas, selling chilled drinks, several kinds of beer, fröccs and even hard liquor to go with the snacks and the Hungarian retro movies.

Tickets: free

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Zamárdi Outdoor Cinema, Zamárdi – The modernized dog friendly

8621 Zamárdi, Kossuth Lajos utca 14.
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Visitors to the Zamárdi Outdoor Cinema, which adopted digital technology last year, will have to hold out for a week after opening night to see the latest films, but with a little luck you may be able to catch a premier here. They make an effort to include non-American works in the schedule once a week, and they do it successfully: when we visited Luc Besson’s Lucy was coming up at 9 pm, but by 8:30 the queue was already stretching to the next corner. With a capacity to seat 400, the cinema was renovated not too long ago, and it now has a 5.1 sound system and is fully accessible to people living with disabilities. It is almost like a multiplex cinema, and the cafeteria has fresh popcorn and a variety of drinks. Your bike is safe here, as you can park it on the cinema grounds, and dogs are just as welcome as their owners.

Tickets: HUF 800
Tickets for animated movies: HUF 700

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Kultúrtér, Balatonfenyves – The cosy

8646 Balatonfenyves, Kölcsey utca 14.
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Thanks to the efforts of the Tourism Association of Balatonyfenyves, the Balatonfenyves Outdoor Cinema, currently called Kultúrtér, offers a versatile selection of top-quality movies released a couple of years ago. You can catch a film here when there is no zumba class going on, that is every Tuesday and Sunday evening. Screenings have a cosy vibe with plastic chairs being set up in rows in front of the screen, which you are free to move closer to each other if a bunch of you want to curl up under the blanket you have brought with you. From a little table they sell popcorn for you to munch on, which you can wash down with a variety of non-alcoholic beverages. The good news for those coming from neighbouring towns is that the railway station is super close, just across the road; the bad news is that the movie sometimes does not end by the time the last train leaves. However, should the last train run late, you’ll be able to catch the announcement if you listen closely enough, and even hop on the train before it pulls out of the station.

Tickets: HUF 800