About Time: You Went to the Amazing Nomad CinemaBy Corrina Antrobus
Let’s face it. Going to the cinema in the great outdoors can feel a little daunting. Mother Nature is the indecisive, bordering schizophrenic, type and paying a premium to effectively sit on the cold floor seems silly when you know the butt-cheek dent in your sofa is missing its favourite behind. However, there’s a wrong and a right way to do alfresco screenings and the good folk at Nomad Cinema seem to have the latter nailed.
Nomad’s intent is to create a ‘festival’ vibe, but if that evokes thoughts of cider-stained Arctic Monkeys T-shirts and trench foot you’re thinking of the wrong festival. We’re talking sipping chilly wine on ‘magic’ carpets nested within the manicured shrubbery of lantern-lit pockets of London. It’s all rather dreamy and perfect setting for snuggling up with a hot date.
Bringing your own picnic and blankets is welcome and some even bring sleeping bags, but you can let them do all the work and opt for the ‘Magic Carpet Experience’. This gets you priority entry – ensuring you nab the best spots, a goodie bag of edible extras, a blanket, poncho, inflatable back rest and a magic carpet which won’t make your redundant sofa seem so appealing.
The summer schedule ticked off a long list of classics such as Singing In The Rain in Fulham Palace, Breakfast At Tiffany’s and The Talented Mr Ripley at Hyde Park Lido, The Matrix in Brompton Cemetery and Cinema Paradiso in Queen’s Park. Sure, you’ve probably seen them already, but tired of Audrey Hepburn and her ginger tom? Tired of life. Keeping up with the regal locations and blockbuster faves, the October schedule includes Ghostbusters, The Wicker Man and Twilight all at The Lookout in Hyde Park.
Nomad Cinema gets its name from its wandering personality and is the sister company of the Lexi Cinema in Kensal Rise. Throughout the year, the cinema roams London (and sometimes beyond), sets up shop in some marvellous locations, shows wonderful films and then disappears into the night. They pride themselves on being eco-friendly but their warm-and-fuzziness doesn’t end there. All profits go to charity with this year’s nominated cause being The Sustainability Institute – a sustainable living and learning centre in South Africa. You watch a film, they raise cash for charity so you can feel extra good about watching Dirty Dancing for the 46th time.
Keep an eye on where the Nomad Cinema is roaming next by checking out their site and their Facebook.
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