A trip to the movies used to be the stuff of unadventurous dates and low-key Sunday evening excursions, but no more. Seeing films in exclusive settings, at open-air screenings and even as part of elaborate interactive events is now one of London’s coolest nightlife trends. Here’s our guide to the capital’s silver screen revolution.
Why stay cocooned in a dingy cinema when you can watch classic movies in the open air with the London skyline as a backdrop? The Rooftop Film Club hosts screenings at top venues The Queen of Hoxton (Shoreditch) and The Roof Gardens (High Street Kensington), providing wireless headphones so you don’t miss a thing, as well as a bar and plenty of hot food options to keep you warm on chilly spring nights. The season officially begins in May, but over Easter weekend, film fans will be able to enjoy sing-a-long and dance-a-long screenings of Grease, Dirty Dancing and Purple Rain (March 29-31) at a one-off event in Leonard Street Car Park in Shoreditch. The Book Club is hosting the Easter Film Hop.
Feel like a VIP at luxury London hotel One Aldwych’s movie, dinner and cocktail evenings. Enjoy a three-course meal at the elegant Axis restaurant before being shown to the hotel’s exclusive screening room. This season you can catch To Rome With Love, Looper, Magic Mike and The Bourne Legacy while sipping on a delicious cocktail and munching on as much popcorn as you can eat. Screenings on selected dates. Season runs through March 23.
London’s ultimate movie event sees classic films screened at specially selected locations with guests (many of whom dress up for the event) immersed in a world inspired by the themes of the movie. For Casablanca, the current movie, audience members will find themselves in the evocative environs of Rick’s Café Américain (aka East London venue The Troxy). These cult events are always shrouded in secrecy, but you can expect live music, food courtesy of renowned Spanish/North African restaurant Moro and plenty of fun and games. Selected dates through March 23.
Photos Courtesy of Future Cinema, Martini Movies and Queen of Hoxton
