Free Movies Under the Stars in Villawood and Panania: Friday 30 and Saturday 31 October 2026, 5pm to 9:30pm, Film From About 7:30pm, No Booking (NSW)

The City of Canterbury-Bankstown is showing its free outdoor cinema twice more this month: Friday 30 October at Thurina Park in Villawood, and Saturday 31 October at Marco Reserve in Panania. Both nights run from 5pm to 9:30pm, the film starts around 7:30pm, and neither needs a ticket. The Villawood night was postponed, so if you saw an earlier date for it, the Friday 30 October date is the one on the council’s page now.

This guide is based on the council’s Movies Under the Stars page, its individual event pages for Dog Man and Scooby-Doo! & Curse of the 13th Ghost, and the council’s Where Interesting Happens listing. All times are Sydney time, which is on daylight saving at this time of year.

When and where are the two remaining film nights?

Night	Film	Place	Time
Friday 30 October 2026	Dog Man (G)	Thurina Park, Lowana Street, Villawood 2163	5pm to 9:30pm, film around 7:30pm
Saturday 31 October 2026	Scooby-Doo! & Curse of the 13th Ghost (G)	Marco Reserve, Marco Avenue, Panania 2213	5pm to 9:30pm, film around 7:30pm

The council’s series page describes the screenings as free, temporary outdoor cinemas, and says no tickets or reservations are required: you just come along on the night. The other two nights in the series, at Riverwood on Saturday 10 October and at Earlwood on Saturday 24 October, have already happened.

The Villawood event page carries a notice that the council decided to postpone the screening because of park conditions and forecast rain, and moved it to Friday 30 October. The council’s listing on Where Interesting Happens also shows Villawood on Friday 30 October, while still describing the series as “every Saturday”. Go by the date on each event page: Friday for Villawood, Saturday for Panania.

What happens before the film starts?

Each night starts at 5pm and the film starts around 7:30pm, which leaves roughly two and a half hours for the activities. The council says each night has face painting, crafts or games, and an inflatable obstacle course, themed to the film.

Night	Activities listed by the council
Villawood, Friday 30 October	Dog Man-themed face painting, creative arts and crafts, and an inflatable obstacle course
Panania, Saturday 31 October	Spooky face painting, kids’ games, crafts and an inflatable obstacle course, for a Halloween night

The council also says each film will have closed captions, and that the events are alcohol-free. Council teams are listed as sharing local information at the screenings.

What can I eat and drink there?

Food is sold by vendors and is not included in the free entry. The council’s Where Interesting Happens listing names the vendors for each night. It does not publish prices, and it does not say whether the vendors take cards, so bring some cash as well as a card.

Night	Vendors named by the council
Villawood, Friday 30 October	Authentic Turkish Gozleme (gozleme and drinks); Fire & Flames Catering (woodfire pizza); Jump & Wiggle (fairy floss, popcorn, ice cream, snow cones, waffles, hot corn, lemonade and coffee); Mr Kernal (Chips on a Stick and fries)
Panania, Saturday 31 October	Coffee and Snow Cones to Go (coffee, snow cones, milkshakes, lemonade, popcorn, slushies, soft serve, cookies and fairy floss); Fire & Flames Catering (woodfire pizza); Mr Kernal (Chips on a Stick and fries)

The vendors are the ones the council lists, and the list can change on the night. If you want dinner before the film, the pizza and gozleme vendors at Villawood and the pizza vendor at Panania are the main meal options on the council’s lists.

What should I bring?

The council asks people to bring a picnic rug and camp chairs so they are comfortable all night. The events are outdoors in a park, so the practical extras are a jacket for after dark and something for the kids to sit on during the activities. The council has not published a list of what is banned, so contact the events team if you want to be sure about something specific, such as a gazebo or a pram.

How do I get to Marco Reserve in Panania by train?

Panania Station is the nearest station. Transport for NSW lists the Panania Station stop page under the T8 Airport & South Line. Using the council’s map pin for the reserve and the station’s position on OpenStreetMap, the station is about 160 metres away in a straight line. That is a calculation for this guide, not an official walking time, so allow a little longer for the actual route.

The Transport for NSW trackwork notice for the weekend of 30 October to 1 November had not been published when this guide was checked on Monday 26 October. The latest notice was for 23 to 25 October. Look at the Transport for NSW trip planner on the day before you leave, and again before you head home after about 9:30pm.

How do I get to Thurina Park in Villawood by train?

Villawood has two stations within a reasonable distance. Both are on the T3 Liverpool & Inner West Line, according to Transport for NSW’s Southwest Link FAQ, which lists Leightonfield and Villawood among the stations that line serves. The FAQ is from 2024, so check the trip planner for the current timetable.

Station	Distance to Thurina Park (straight line)
Leightonfield	About 1 kilometre
Villawood	About 1.5 kilometres

These figures come from the council’s map pin for the park and OpenStreetMap station positions, so they are straight-line distances for this guide, not walking times. Leightonfield is the closer of the two. Whichever you pick, plan the walk with a map app, and remember that you will be walking back in the dark with children if you stay for the whole film.

Can I park at the screenings?

The council’s event pages do not say anything about parking, and neither does the Where Interesting Happens listing beyond a general line that accessible toilets and parking are available. There is no published event car park, no published free-parking area and no published time limit for either night. If you drive, read the signs on any street you park in, because Sydney streets near stations and parks often have time limits.

If you need accessible parking, email the events team at events@cbcity.nsw.gov.au before the night and ask where it is. That is better than arriving at 7pm and looking for it.

What if it rains?

This series has already shown that the council will postpone. The Villawood screening was moved because of park conditions and forecast rain, and the council announced that on its event page. The Panania event page did not carry a weather notice when it was checked on 26 October, and the council has not published a general wet-weather rule for the series.

• Check the event page for your night on the day, before you pack the car.
• If the page shows a Postponed label, treat the old date as cancelled and read the new one.
• If you are unsure, email events@cbcity.nsw.gov.au or phone the council on 02 9707 9000.

Are the screenings accessible?

The council says each film will have closed captions. Where Interesting Happens lists accessible toilets and parking as available for the series, but the pages do not say where they are at each park. If you need a particular access arrangement, contact the events team before you go.

What should I know before I go?

• Villawood is on Friday 30 October and Panania is on Saturday 31 October. Both run from 5pm to 9:30pm.
• The film starts around 7:30pm. Arrive from 5pm if you want the face painting, crafts and obstacle course.
• Entry is free and no booking is needed, but food and drinks cost extra.
• The events are alcohol-free.
• Take the train if you can: Panania Station is the nearest to Marco Reserve, and Leightonfield is the nearer of the two Villawood-area stations to Thurina Park.
• Check the Transport for NSW trip planner for trackwork once the weekend notice is out, and check the council event page for postponements.

OZ Local Updates is an independent local guide and is not affiliated with the City of Canterbury-Bankstown.

Sources

• City of Canterbury-Bankstown: Movies Under the Stars, checked Monday 26 October 2026
• City of Canterbury-Bankstown: Movies Under the Stars: Dog Man (Villawood), checked Monday 26 October 2026
• City of Canterbury-Bankstown: Movies Under the Stars: Scooby-Doo! & Curse of the 13th Ghost (Panania), checked Monday 26 October 2026
• Where Interesting Happens: Movies Under the Stars 2026, checked Monday 26 October 2026
• Transport for NSW: T8 Airport & South Line and Panania Station
• Transport for NSW: Stations between Sydenham and Bankstown (Southwest Link FAQ, 2024)