Outdoor movies are back at the newly saved Elizabeth Street Garden beginning tomorrow
Following a years-long tug-of-war between developers, city officials and a fiercely loyal fan base (including names like De Niro and Patti Smith), the beloved Nolita green space has officially been spared from redevelopment. The city pulled plans for a senior housing complex on the site, opting instead for alternate affordable housing sites across Lower Manhattan. That means one thing: The garden lives on and it's ready to roll film.
Beginning Wednesday, July 9, free outdoor movies will once again light up the sculpture-filled sanctuary at 8 p.m. sharp, with blankets, popcorn and street-style charm highly encouraged. And no, there's no ticketing system—it's first come, first spread-out.
This summer's lineup blends whimsy, classics, and cult hits, starting with The Secret World of Arrietty and wrapping August 20 with Wes Anderson's The Royal Tenenbaums. Other gems include John Waters' Hairspray (1988), the noir staple Laura (1944) and of course, Dazed and Confused, which kicked things off on June 25. (If you missed that one, well, alright alright alright.)
But that's not all ESG has up its sleeve. Movie nights are part of a broader slate of free programming designed to turn midweek slumps and sleepy Sundays into moments of downtown magic. Saturday morning yoga, Sunday tai chi and literary-leaning poetry hours with McNally Jackson staff are also on the calendar, proving the garden is as much a cultural venue as a leafy escape.
For longtime fans, this summer feels extra sweet. The 20,000-square-foot lot has roots stretching back nearly 200 years, first as a public school, then evolving into a rare patch of tranquility in a city where open space is a luxury. With just 0.07 acres of green space per 1,000 residents in Soho and Little Italy, preserving the garden was about survival just as much as it was about statues and sunflowers.
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