I’ve loved seeing outdoor movies since my first trip to the drive-in. There are lots of options for outdoor movies near Ann Arbor. Michigan summer nights are often cool making for great movie watching weather. However, being on the western edge of the time zone, darkness starts late.
Check out our list of outdoor movies in 2026 near Ann Arbor.
Top of the Park Movies
Our favorite place to catch an outdoor movie is at the Ann Arbor Summer Festival’s Top of the Park. The Movies by Moonlight series is held on Ingalls Mall. Movies are on Sundays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays in the second half of June.
Stadium Movies
We love seeing moves at Michigan Stadium. We have seen both Black Panther and Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse.
Of the Ann Arbor outdoor movies, the biggest stadium movie of the year was typically at Michigan Stadium. Sadly the most recent movie night for the general public was in 2019. We hope to see them return.
Eastern Michigan University has also done movies at their Football Field in the past. If we hear of a movie, we will add it to our list.
<updating for 2026 in progress below>
Movies at the Park Near Me
Michigan movies in the parks are back for 2026. We are highlighting some of the movies in the park near Ann Arbor.
Saline Parks is only having one movie in the park Zootopia 2 in August as part of Summerfest. A. number of yeras ago they had monthly movies in the summer. In more recent years it has just been one as part of the Family Campout and one as part of Saline Summerfest. We don’t see a Family Campout this year – perhaps because of construction at Mill Pond Park.
Movies in the Park are back at the Huron Clinton Metroparks. Our calendar includes outdoor movies in the park 2026 near us at Lower Huron and Kensington.
We don’t see any movies in the park for Pittsfield Township yet.
Sadly, Ann Arbor has not brought back their dive-in movies at the city pools. We also have not seen announcement for the Ypsilanti DDA movies in the park or Washtenaw County Movies in the park.
Ann Arbor Drive-In Movie Theaters Options
A Drive-In is the classic way to watch an outdoor movie. There is no drive in movie in Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County, but there are a couple in close driving distance. They all offer double features, which makes for a late night.
The Summer Drive-In at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth is the closest drive in movie theater to Ann Arbor. They are open on Wednesdays-Sundays in the summer. They open for “Spring Under the Stars” on select weekends in May and open full time on June 12. Check out our tips for seeing a movie at the drive-in theater.
After attending one of their 2023 sneak peek weekends, we have one request. PLEASE don’t run your car for the entire movie. We had someone who went retro at the drive-in with a 1960s muscle car park next to us. They ran the engine the entire time and the exhaust fumes were overwhelming.
Rev Up Your Summer: 9 Tips for USA Hockey Arena Drive-In
The USA Hockey Arena Drive-In returns for summer 2026! About the Summer Drive-In at USA Hockey Arena There are 3 “theaters” in their parking lot each showing a different movie. Double Features return for the first time since 2019. The USA Hockey Drive-in is open Wednesday-Sunday in the summer starting June 12. They offer preview […]
The Ford Drive-In is in Dearborn. They are open nightly in the summer (starting after Memorial Day). They offer both single features and double features. Unlike the USA Hockey Drive-In, they offer admission by the car instead of by individual.
The US-23 Drive-In is in Flint. They are open nightly in the summer (starting after Memorial Day). They offer several double features each night. Admission price is by individual.
Ann Arbor Movies in the Park and other Outdoor Movies
| Date/Time | Event | |
|---|---|---|
| 💙🆓 | June 5 6:00pm-10:30pm | A2Zero Solar-Powered Party at Bicentennial Park, Ann Arbor Michigan |
| 💙🆓 | June 14 9:30pm-11:59pm | Hamilton - Top of the Park Movie at Top of the Park, Ann Arbor Michigan |
| 💙🆓 | June 16 9:45pm-11:30pm | Gremlins - Top of the Park Movie at Top of the Park, Ann Arbor Michigan |
| 🆓 | June 17 9:45pm-11:15pm | Sleepless in Seattle - Top of the Park Movie at Top of the Park, Ann Arbor Michigan |
| 🆓 | June 18 9:45pm-11:59pm | Sinners - Top of the Park Movie at Top of the Park, Ann Arbor Michigan |
| 💙🆓 | June 21 9:45pm-11:30pm | Coco - Top of the Park Movie at Top of the Park, Ann Arbor Michigan |
| 💙🆓 | June 23 9:45pm-11:45pm | Groundhog Day - Top of the Park Movie at Top of the Park, Ann Arbor Michigan |
| 🆓 | June 24 9:45pm-11:30pm | Planes, Trains, and Automobiles - Top of the Park Movie at Top of the Park, Ann Arbor Michigan |
| 💙🆓 | June 25 9:45pm-11:30pm | Elf - Top of the Park Movie at Top of the Park, Ann Arbor Michigan |
| 💙🆓 | June 28 10:00pm-11:59pm | It's a Wonderful Life - 80th Anniversary - Top of the Park Movie at Top of the Park, Ann Arbor Michigan |
| 💙🆓 | July 31 8:00pm-10:00pm | Movie in the Park - Zootopia 2 at Kensington Metropark, Milford Michigan |
| 💙🆓 | August 7 6:30pm-11:00pm | Movie in the Park: Zootopia 2 at Henne Field, Saline Michigan |
| 💙🆓 | August 8 6:00pm-8:30pm | Movie in the Park - The Super Mario Galaxy Movie at Lower Huron Metropark, Belleville Michigan |
