Brighton's open-air cinema: what's left this autumn

Brighton's open-air cinema season is winding down, but there's still a bit left before the nights turn properly cold. The most reliable fixture is Preston Manor, where Picturehouse has been screening on the lawn in front of the manor house since June. The final run is 21 to 23 August, with Dirty Dancing on the 21st, Stop Making Sense on the 22nd and Paddington 2 on the 23rd, all at 18:30. It's dog-friendly, blankets and cushions are welcome, and a bar does popcorn, nachos and hot dogs — cashless, so bring a card. Doors open at the advertised time, and the film starts at dusk, so there's plenty of time to settle in. Each ticket comes with a £7 food and drink voucher, and if the weather turns properly foul, you get a full refund.

For something more unusual, Saltdean Lido is the one to keep an eye on. It's the UK's longest-running independent outdoor cinema, and the venue itself — the country's only coastal Art Deco lido — is half the draw. The next screening is Back to the Future on Saturday 5 September, with a pre-film swim in the heated outdoor pool, luxury chairs with pillows and blankets for hire, a full bar and woodfired pizzas, burgers and crepes. There's a live DJ on before the film while the sun sets, which is about as close to the ideal as it gets.

If you're happy to drive a short distance, Leonardslee Lakes & Gardens near Horsham is worth the trip for the setting alone — Grade I listed gardens with screenings on Friday 11 September, Saturday 12 September and Saturday 19 September. The line-up is The Italian Job (the 1969 original), Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again and The Greatest Showman, with gates opening at 18:00 and films starting around 19:30, live pre-show music and food and drink on site. Tickets start at £10 plus a booking fee, and members get 15% off with a code. Around the same distance away, Wakehurst runs its Adventure Cinema season again in early October, with sing-along musicals, family films and Halloween screenings once the autumn sets in.

It's worth noting what's already gone so you don't go hunting for it. The Brighton Palace Pier's weekend screenings were back in June, One Garden's Frontier Sapiens adventure film festival took place in Stanmer Park on 8 August, and White Wall Cinema's outdoor run at Wagner Hall wrapped up with Grey Gardens in late August. If you're planning your next outing, the Saltdean Lido screening in September is the last big one on the coast, so it's the one to book first. After that, the focus shifts inland to Leonardslee and Wakehurst as the season turns autumnal.