Everything you need to know about the Luna outdoor cinema for kids

The touring open-air cinema, designed for families, is making its first trip to Scotland this summer.

Luna Cinema

With summer and the school holidays just around the corner, families across the country are planning where to take their kids this summer to keep them entertained. With good weather (hopefully) on the horizon, why not treat the children to some outdoor entertainment?

The Luna Kids Cinema - a touring outdoor screening event for families - is back and will visit two Scottish destinations this year -The Meadows in Edinburgh and Victoria Park in Glasgow.

What's on?

Families can choose from a huge variety of films in the 2019 programme, including this year’s biggest children’s releases, from The Lego Movie 2 to Disney’s highly anticipated live-action remakes Dumbo and Aladdin. There will also be screenings of family favourites, from Mary Poppins Returns and Spider-man: Into the Spider-Verse to classics like The Little Mermaid and Moana. Other highlights include the smash hit The Incredibles 2, Finding Dory and sing-along extravaganza, The Greatest Showman.

Returning exclusively to the Luna Kids Cinema’s open-air screen will be the multi-award-winning animations based on the books of Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler with screenings of The Gruffalo, newly accompanied this year by The Highway Rat and the first ever open air screenings of the newest edition to the series… Zog.

This year, Peppa Pig will be making a big splash at Luna Kids Cinema when the first ever UK open-air screening of Peppa Pig: Festival of Fun is shown in Luna sites across the UK. The new theatrical release from Entertainment One gives preschool audiences a whole hour of snorts and giggles with 10 brand new episodes connected with live action musical content. There will also be screenings of PJ Masks as the heroic animated adventures of night time super heroes Catboy, Owlette and Gekko soar onto the big screen for the first time.

How much are tickets?

With tickets starting at £13.50 for adults and £8 for kids (inclusive of booking fees), films will be screened during the day on a giant 10 metre, high-definition screen that allows for a clear picture even in direct sunlight.

This year, Luna Kids has teamed up again with international children’s charity, Save the Children. As the official charity partner for Luna Kids, Save the Children will receive donations from ticket sales and have stalls at selected screenings with fun activities for all the family.

Cinema-goers can look forward to access to microwaves, a covered baby change area, buggy park, and free use of high chairs, as well as a giant sun canopy that provides shade for the audience or cover in the event of rain.

Audiences are welcome to bring along picnics to the screenings although all events will have a selection of healthy food and drink options tailored to all tastes – as well as a Big Kids Bar serving refreshments for older film fans, including wine, beer and prosecco.

George Wood, founder of The Luna Cinema, said: “We’re so excited to be bringing back Luna Kids Cinema after such a successful first run last summer. This year has been another incredible year for family friendly cinema, with the release of some truly brilliant films, not least Mary Poppins Returns, The Incredibles 2, plus the second instalment of The Lego Movie.

"We’re also thrilled to be bringing The Gruffalo back to the Luna Kids screen alongside the first ever open-air outing for everyone’s favourite dragon, Zog! With Disney’s upcoming releases Dumbo and Aladdin joining the programme, it’s shaping up to be a pretty special summer of outdoor cinema for films fans, no matter their age. Once again, we’ve chosen some of the most unique settings across the country for the Luna Kids tour so no matter where you live you should be able to get to a Luna Kids screening this summer.

"Moreover, we’re particularly excited to be bringing Luna Kids to Scotland for the very first time. We know that going to the cinema with babies and children can sometimes be a bit of a challenge, and that is why the Luna Kids Cinema experience is so different. We’ve hopefully thought of all the little touches to make the experience as hassle free as possible for the adults and as much fun as possible for the kids!”

Helena Wiltshire, Head of PR and Partnerships at Save the Children said: “We’re delighted to be partnering with Luna Kids Cinema again this summer. Whilst young families are enjoying some fun films they will also be supporting Save the Children to help build a better future for children all around the world.”

The Meadows, Edinburgh

10 July / The Lego Movie 2 (2019)

11 July / The Gruffalo (2009), Highway Rat (2017), Zog (2018)

11 July / Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)

11 July / Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001)

12 July / P J Masks (2019)

12 July / Coco (2017)

12 July / Dumbo (2019)

12 July / The Greatest Showman (2017)

13 July / Peppa Pig: Festival of Fun (2019)

13 July / Moana (2016)

13 July / Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018)

13 July / Mary Poppins Returns (2018)

14 July / The Gruffalo (2009), Highway Rat (2017), Zog (2018)

14 July / The Incredibles 2 (2018)

14 July / How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019)

Victoria Park, Glasgow

17 July / Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001)

18 July / The Gruffalo (2009), Highway Rat (2017), Zog (2018)

18 July / The Incredibles 2 (2018)

18 July / How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019)

19 July / Peppa Pig: Festival of Fun (2019)

19 July / Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018)

19 July / Up! (2009)

19 July / Mary Poppins Returns (2018)

20 July / The Gruffalo (2009), Highway Rat (2017), Zog (2018)

20 July / Moana (2016)

20 July / Dumbo (2019)

20 July / The Greatest Showman (2017)

21 July / Peppa Pig: Festival of Fun (2019)

21 July / Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)

21 July / The Lego Movie 2 (2019)