With the sun continuing to show no real sign of rest (with the occasionally bouts of rain in between), this summer truly has held up to it’s end of the bargain and has turned out to be the perfect time to be outdoors. What better way to find an excuse to grab a bunch of friends, hit up Sainsbury’s (or M&S if you’re feeling a bit fancy) and park yourselves in a sun-filled section in one of the beautiful parks London has to offer than team it with a massive outdoor screening of one of your favourite classics.
Pop Up Screen outdoor cinema has got it spot on again this year, parking it’s big inflatable screens across various hidden gems of London’s gardens and parks, and screening all the cult favourites from The Goonies, Fight Club to the Baz Luhrmann’s iconic Romeo and Juliet. With Pop Up Screen. be prepared to find yourselves taken on an amazing adventure with Mikey and the gang in South Park in Parson’s Green or watch Brad Pitt and Edward Norton take to the ring in Ravencourt’s Park in Hammersmith.
Wanting to make the rest of my summer count for something, last Friday I found myself gearing up for Pop Up Screen’s viewing of the 90’s classic The Usual Suspect, which much to the shock of my flatmate, I had never watched. After watching the rain pour from the 4th floor of my office from 9:30am, simultaneously keeping the BBC weather tab and Pop Up Screen’s Twitter feed constantly refreshed. Miraculously from 6pm the clouds parted, the sun was in full force and I found myself happily making my way across the river to Manor House Gardens in Lewisham a beautiful public garden I never knew existed nullifying any claim I had of me being a South East London expert.
Arriving just as doors begin to open, my two friends and I were greeted by the smell of freshly made popcorn and a gigantic inflatable screen with a few specks of bodies dotted across the beautifully green open field. Grateful that there was a small selection of food on site to cater for us not having been fully prepared for our outing and we chose a spot close enough see the moving images on screen with a clear view of the toilets and looked on as the green became taken over with vibrant warm blankets, deck chairs and variations of picnic baskets serving groups of cheerful and better prepared film-goers.
Not one to be forgiving, the temperamental British weather couldn’t resist and reared it’s ugly head causing a sea of umbrellas to form a barricade over the grass and a mad dash bodies trying to find warmest thing around them. But determined to have our summer, we all soldiered on and continued to watched the narrative unfold on the screen in front us united by our soaked clothes, and shivering bodies, and for the most part happy to be out in the open air together.
As the film ended my friends and I breathed a sigh of relief, waiting to jump into our warms beds, knowing if we did this again, we’re definitely not taking the FAQs lightly!
For full listings check out Pop Up Screen website and don’t forget to follow Pop Up Screen on Twitter @popupscreens
Next screening is tonight Top Gun (SOLD OUT), 11 Aug at at Ravencourt Park in Hammersmith. Tickets £8. Doors open at 7.30pm, film starts at 9pm. The nearest station Ravencourt Park Tube station.
Written by Yo_yO