Where Was Kissing Booth 3 Filmed? Real Beach House & Waikiki Waves Waterpark

Netflix’s The Kissing Booth 3 was filmed in multiple beachy locations shared with the trilogy’s first two films, albeit with the additions of a real beach house and waterpark. Though the story of Elle Evans (played by Joey King) takes place in California, all three films were predominantly filmed in South Africa, with a few scenes shot in California. The real-world locations of both South Africa and California contribute to the fun-in-the-sun ethos and aesthetic of The Kissing Booth series’ third and final installment.

Following the previous film’s cliffhanger ending surrounding Elle’s choice between Harvard or Berkeley, The Kissing Booth 3 opens with Elle still struggling with her college decision. When the parents of her best friend Lee Flynn (Joel Courtney) and her boyfriend Noah Flynn (Jacob Elordi) announce that they’re selling their beach house, Elle pushes college to the back of her mind and the trio move into the beach house for one last fun summer together. Despite the latent drama of Elle’s looming decision, the story’s beautiful beachbound setting makes it virtually impossible for Elle and friends to have anything but a good time — notwithstanding a few tears and heartbreaking goodbyes.

Filmed simultaneously with the second film, The Kissing Booth 3 was primarily shot in Cape Town, South Africa in 2019. Having graduated high school at this point, Elle’s high school (filmed at the University of Cape Town) from the first two movies doesn’t make a return in The Kissing Booth 3. Instead, The Kissing Booth 3 leans further into South Africa’s outdoor sunny backdrops, taking greater advantage of Cape Town’s beaches and tourist attractions; although most of the action centers on the Flynns’ “For Sale” beach house.

The Flynns’ Beach House

The central setting of The Kissing Booth 3, the Flynn family’s beautiful beach house is where Elle, Noah, and Lee plan to spend their last summer together, before Mrs. Flynn (Molly Ringwald) sells it. Filled with their childhood memories, the beach house is located at 35 Green Point Drive in the quiet village of Palmcliffe, roughly 25 miles south of Durban, South Africa. Fans of the reality TV show Love Island may recognize the beach house of Love Island 2020, the show’s winter edition that relocated from Mallorca to South Africa. Likewise, the beach house was also featured in an episode of Black Mirror.

Waikiki Waves Waterpark

Briefly, before the Mario Kart racing scene at the fictional Waikiki Wheels, Elle and friends fly down the waterslides at Waikiki Waves Waterpark, which is actually set in uShaka Marine World in Durban. Also used for the underwater aquarium scene at the beginning of the film, uShaka Marine World is a 40-acre theme park that opened in April of 2004, hosting the uShaka Wet ‘n Wild waterpark that’s renamed and repurposed as Waikiki Waves for The Kissing Booth 3‘s plot. The Waikiki Wheels go-kart track, however, was filmed elsewhere and added to the aerial shot of Waikiki Waves via CGI.

Dunes Beach Restaurant & Bar

While staying at the Flynns’ beach house, Elle works for college money at the Dunes Beach Restaurant & Bar, a real-life beach bar of the same name situated in Hout Bay Beach of southern Cape Town. Co-working with Lee, Elle has a few tense conversations and run-ins while on-the-clock at Dunes, most notably with Marco (Taylor Perez), Elle’s side fling from The Kissing Booth 2.

Camps Bay Beach

In addition to Hout Bay Beach, the location of Elle and Lee’s workplace, Camps Bay Beach also makes an appearance during a short scene showing Elle and Lee walking and talking along Camps Bay’s Victoria Road. Bordered by many restaurants, clubs, and hotels, Camps Bay is known as Cape Town’s premier party beach. Established in 1887 in honor of Queen Victoria, Victoria’s Road is today a popular stretch for locals and tourists to bike alongside the beach.

Wynberg Park

After a tense argument with Lee, Elle seeks shelter from the rain beneath a park gazebo on her way back to the beach house. Perhaps Elle’s lowest point in the film, this rainy shot, briefly shown during one of The Kissing Booth 3‘s sad song montages, takes place in Wynberg Park, formerly known as King Edward Park, in the heart of Cape Town. Established by the Wynberg Mayor James Bisset in the 1890’s, the park hosts the Krakeelwater River’s spring, as well as a few water fountains shown from Elle’s gazebo vantage point.

Arch of Cabo San Lucas

While most filming takes place in South Africa, The Kissing Booth 3 very briefly shows a still from the famous Arch of Cabo San Lucas, a distinctive rock formation (nicknamed “El Arco”) situated at the southern tip of Cabo San Lucas in Mexico. An odd filming decision for a story set in California, considering how well-known this rugged rock arch is, the Arch of Cabo San Lucas is undoubtedly gorgeous and does contribute to the movie’s frolicking sense of adventure. El Arco can be seen early in the movie, when Elle and Lee oblige their friendship by crossing off bucket list items from their Beach Bucket List. Jumping off of El Arco fulfills item number 14: “JUMP off a High Cliff!”

Santa Monica Pier

Another recognizable landmark, this time one that’s fitting to The Kissing Booth 3‘s intended setting, is the Santa Monica Pier, namely the pier’s amusement park shown in the background as Elle and Lee complete one of their Beach Bucket List items involving green slushies. The Playland Arcade where Elle and Lay play Dance Dance Mania is also located in Santa Monica, though the arcade’s interior was filmed in South Africa.

University of Cape Town’s Jagger Library

After ostensibly deciding to go to Harvard for school, Elle ends The Kissing Booth 3 by choosing USC instead. Following an establishing shot of the USC School of Cinematic Arts, Elle calls Lee to inform him of her acceptance. Lee, on the receiving end, triumphantly yells in a school library, which is filmed in the reading room of the University of Cape Town’s historic Jagger Library. Tragically, the Jagger Reading Room was completely lost to a wildfire in April 2021, destroying the library’s unique collection of African Studies.

Stellenbosch University’s Rooiplein Square

Six years after the story’s main events, The Kissing Booth 3 ends on a coda that returns to the same location of the Los Angeles Country Day festival scene from Kissing Booth 2, a campus location known in the real world as Rooiplein Square of Stellenbosch University. Roughly 50 miles east of Cape Town, Stellenbosch University is a public research university and one of the oldest extant university of Sub-Saharan Africa. Here, the story time jumps to an older Elle sporting shorter hair, as she comes across the titular kissing booth before ambiguously reconnecting with Noah. Granted, much of this scene (and others) was performed in front of a green screen, with CGI backgrounds; but, nonetheless, The Kissing Booth 3 ends the trilogy here on a hopeful, happy note.

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