HAPPENING 4 & 5 SEP '26 | Diergaarde Blijdorp becomes an open-air cinema for the first time on Friday 4 and Saturday 5 September. Movie at the Zoo brings together Rotterdam Zoo and Pathé Schouwburgplein for two evenings of film under the stars, with geladas on one side, flamingos on the other and headphones keeping the soundtrack between you and the screen.
Friday is dedicated to The Lion King - Live Action, while Saturday brings things firmly back to Rotterdam with De Marathon. Tickets cost €13.50 per evening and include a chair and high-quality headphones.
Cinema between the animals
Movie at the Zoo takes place on the forecourt near Blijdorp’s historic city-side entrance. It is a rather unusual cinema setting: the film area sits between the geladas and flamingos, with the surrounding zoo architecture and greenery becoming part of the atmosphere once daylight begins to disappear.
The collaboration also marks the 30th anniversary of Pathé Schouwburgplein. Rather than bringing another anniversary screening into a conventional cinema, Pathé and Blijdorp are taking the screen outside for a weekend in one of Rotterdam’s most familiar institutions.
There will be no speakers blasting film sound across the zoo. Everyone receives headphones on arrival, allowing visitors to hear the film clearly while limiting disturbance to the animals and people living around Blijdorp.
Typical cinema snacks and drinks will be available on the film site. Exact food and drink menus have not been published, so this is probably not the evening to plan dinner around a mystery popcorn stand.
The Lion King opens the weekend
On Friday 4 September, the screen shows The Lion King - Live Action. The film follows young Simba, heir to King Mufasa, as Scar’s ambitions disrupt life in the kingdom and send Simba on a rather more eventful journey than the average zoo visitor.
The film is shown in English with Dutch subtitles, making Friday the easiest choice if you prefer to watch in English. Given the surroundings, a film set around the African savannah is hardly the most surprising programming decision, but sometimes the obvious choice is obvious because it works.
Visitors can enter from 20:00, choose a seat and get something to drink before the film begins at 21:00. Seats are not assigned, so arriving earlier gives you more choice. Bringing your own chair is not allowed.
The evening finishes no later than 23:30. Your €13.50 ticket covers access to the cinema area, your chair and the headphones used during the screening.
De Marathon keeps it Rotterdam
Saturday 5 September is much more local. De Marathon follows Rotterdam friends Gerard, Leo, Kees and Nico, who work together at Gerard’s struggling garage. Their solution to the financial problem is to find sponsors and enter the Rotterdam Marathon.
What follows is as much about friendship and Rotterdam character as it is about running. Watching it inside Blijdorp adds another local landmark to a film already thoroughly tied to the city.
The timing and ticket conditions are the same as Friday: entry from 20:00, film at 21:00 and an end time no later than 23:30. Tickets cost €13.50 including chair and headphones.
One note for international visitors: Blijdorp explicitly confirms English audio and Dutch subtitles for The Lion King, but the event information does not list English subtitles for De Marathon. If following a Dutch-language film without subtitles would be difficult, Friday is the safer option.
The zoo itself stays closed
Movie at the Zoo is an evening film event rather than an after-hours zoo experience. Only the city-side entrance at Van Aerssenlaan 47 will open, and visitors cannot wander further into Blijdorp beyond the square where the cinema is located.
That distinction is worth knowing before arriving early with plans to squeeze in a quick visit to the elephants. The animals you happen to be screening-adjacent to are part of the setting, but the rest of the zoo has already closed for the day.
The limited access also explains the headphones. Blijdorp is deliberately keeping the event compact and relatively quiet, allowing film lovers into the site at night without turning September into festival season for every animal within hearing distance.
Tickets and current availability can be found via https://diergaardeblijdorp.nl/nl/movieatthezoo.
How to get there
Movie at the Zoo is accessible only through the city-side entrance at Van Aerssenlaan 47, not through Blijdorp’s main entrance and car park on Blijdorplaan. Parking around the city entrance is limited, so the organisers recommend cycling or using public transport. Extra bicycle parking will be provided, and the city side of the zoo is within walking distance of Rotterdam Central Station.
