Open air theatres across the UK offer summer productions from London parks to coastal stages

Open air theatres UK, from London to the coast, combine outdoor fun with entertainment and culture, and most offer food and drink or the option to bring your own. From nights out to week-ends away, and with productions ranging from Shakespeare’s classics to modern plays, musicals and concerts, there’s something to suit every taste this summer.

For a broader overview of theatre across the UK, see https://uktheatre.org

Pitlochry Festival Theatre
In a delightful countryside setting the Pitlochry Festival Theatre is at the heart of Highland arts and culture. There is major indoor auditorium and an Amphitheatre in the Explorers Garden. Designed to mimic both the shape and the dimensions of the Auditorium, it was reintroduced to the programme in 2021. Guests can enjoy opera, musicals, drama and comedy surrounded by stunning views of Ben-y-Vrackie. Although holding a maximum of 120 people the theatre is fully accessible and has wheelchair places. The theatre offers plays, musicals, festivals, and collaborations that bring world-class artists to the Theatre in the Hills, with further details at https://www.pitlochry-scotland.co.uk/pitlochry-festival-theatre

The Globe Theatre
Opened in 1997 the theatre was founded by film producer Sam Wannamaker and as well as the famous open-air theatre there is also a candle-lit indoor playhouse. The current theatre is the third Globe. The first was opened in 1599 but, due to a mis-firing canon in 1613, the thatched roof caught fire and the theatre was destroyed. It was re-built and opened the following year, this time with a somewhat safer tiled roof, and was finally closed in 1642. The new theatre can hold up to 1570 people, 700 standing and the rest seated, and in keeping with the original, is the only thatched roof building in London. Performances include work by Renaissance and new playwrights, with further details at https://www.shakespearesglobe.com

B O A T – Brighton Open Air Theatre
BOAT is the brainchild of the late Adrian Bunting, a local playwright and performer, and was opened by his mother, Isobelle Bunting, in May 2015. The 400-seat BOAT has grown rapidly to become one of the country’s top open-air theatres. Performances include Gershwin’s Porgy & Bess, Romeo & Juliet, Jane Eyre, Around The World in Eighty Days, Pickwick Papers, What A Night and loads more. The site has step-free access and there are four wheelchair spaces for every performance plus free tickets for carers. Guests are welcome to bring picnics but be aware that Brighton is a coastal town and has many seagulls, with further details at https://www.brightonopenairtheatre.co.uk

Thorington Theatre
The Thorington Theatre in Suffolk is located in a delightful woodland area. Seating 350 people it has a bar serving the best local beers, wine, cider, juices and ice creams, and there is a picnic area where guests are welcome to enjoy a picnic before the show. There is free parking, guest loos and wheelchair access. Performances for 2026 include Love Actually, Bowjangles, The Scarlet Pimpernel and much more, with further details at https://www.thoringtontheatre.co.uk

Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre
With over 1300 seats the Regent’s Park theatre, dating back to 1932, is one of the largest theatres in London. Food and drink is a feature of the venue and include Covered Dining, The Grill and The Pizza Oven. There is also a picnic lawn and the West End’s longest bar. Numerous past productions have included Jesus Christ Superstar, Twelfth Night and Fiddler on the Roof. Productions this year include Midsummer Night’s Dream and Cats, with further details at https://www.openairtheatre.com

Kilworth House Theatre
Based in rural Leicestershire the Kilworth House Theatre is situated in the wooded grounds of Kilworth House and delivers stunning musicals such as Cole Porter’s classic musical ‘Anything Goes’, from 23 June to 2 August. Visitors can enjoy a pre-theatre dinner or lunch in the magnificent Orangery or Wordsworth Restaurants and whilst the theatre is a short stroll from there, a golf buggy transfer is also on offer, with further details at https://kilworthhouse.co.uk

Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre
Chester’s Grosvenor Park plays host to an open air theatre each summer offering theatre, cinema, comedy gigs and family activities under the stars. Performances include Let The Sun Shine In, Peter Pan, Nell Gwynn, and Outlaws: A Robin Hood Story. Guests can enjoy al fresco beers, frozen cocktails, fresh wood-fired pizzas and barbecues. You can also bring your own food and snacks but not alcohol, which is available to purchase onsite. There is unreserved seating on the picnic terraces and the back two rows are under cover, offering shade from the sun or shelter from an occasional shower, with further details at https://www.storyhouse.com/park/grosvenor-park-open-air-theatre

Minack Theatre
In Porthcurno, four miles from Lands End, is the spectacular Minack Theatre. Property owner Rowena Cade was involved in the local theatre and offered her cliff garden as the setting for its 1932 production of The Tempest and her gardener fashioning a terrace and some seating at the cliff edge. Over the next few years, improvements were made and proper dressing rooms were created in 1955. Looking more like a small Roman Amphitheatre and overlooking the sea, this has to be the most dramatic outdoor theatre in the UK. The theatre has a packed programme of events from April to October and is open to visitors throughout the year. There are a number of food outlets on the site and visitors are also welcome to take picnics to enjoy in the dedicated area. However, due to its steep cliff-side location it is not ideal for those with mobility issues, with further details at https://www.minack.com

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