New outdoor cinema to open

An outdoor cinema will open at Barwon Edge next month offering movie lovers a program of classic hits, nostalgic flicks and family-favourite films down by the Barwon River.

Jesse Hughes, Sarah Horsburgh, and Matt and Amelia Baird – the team behind culinary hotspots ALMA and Felix – took over the Barwon Edge site in September last year.

“It’s just such a beautiful site down here with all that land on the river,” restaurant partner Matt Baird said.

“The site’s got this natural amphitheatre grassed area and my partners and I, as soon as we looked at it, we just looked at each other and said, ‘Are you thinking what I’m thinking?’, and we were all thinking the same thing.

“I think Geelong’s really been crying out for something like this for a long time.”

Launching on February 2, the open-air cinema’s program will run for six consecutive Fridays.

Two films will be aired each evening: one at 5.30pm and another at 8pm.

“We’ve got the earlier session which is geared towards younger families a little bit more and the later session could either be a date night for you your partner, or it could be a family outing with some older kids or even just a group of friends,” Baird said.

Romantic hits Pretty Woman and The Notebook will run on Valentine’s Day, and one evening has been designated a pet-friendly occasion.

“All of the business partners are dog parents, so it was very important to us to allow the pups there one night,” Baird said.

“That’s going to be really quite a special night.

“It’s always lovely bringing your dog to an outing and I think it’ll be a lot of fun.”

The site will have a pre-show area set up where people can meet for a drink and a catch up before the film begins, and comfortable camping-style chairs will be provided during the film.

Patrons are welcome to bring blankets, as well as picnic rugs if they’d prefer to sit on the grass.

A range of classic cinema snacks will be also available including popcorn, choc tops and soft drinks.

“We’re lucky enough to be licenced in our outdoor areas, so alcoholic beverages will be available to purchase,” Baird said.

“If you’re after something a little more bougie, we’ve got charcuterie boxes available for pre-order as well.”

The cinema does, however, have a strict non-BYO policy.

“We certainly think we’ve got all the ingredients to put on a great event,” Baird said.

“We’d love to have this one our agenda every year, so we’re really hoping the people of Geelong get behind it and support it.”

The outdoor cinema is at 40-70 Windsor Road, Newtown.

To view the full program or to book tickets, head to sevenrooms.com/x0VC3JK5