Pre-Christmas treat at Sydney’s Moonlight Cinema

Christmas came early this year with a Moonlight Cinema screening of the beautiful La La Land in Sydney’s Centennial Park.

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Hosted within the Belvedere Amphitheatre in Centennial Park, Sydney’s Moonlight Cinema is conveniently located a few minutes’ walk away from both Paddington and the Westfields in Bondi Junction, so that finding it is not too hard but you still get that out-of-town, camping feeling away from the city’s noise.

Maybe it was just that that La La Land, the latest effort by Whiplash‘s Damien Chazelle following Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone’s relationship as they fight for stardom in Los Angeles, was just beautiful to watch, a colourful real-life sad fairytale unfolding before your eyes. Or maybe it was also the setting, with the sun slowly going down, couples snuggling together and popping Prosecco while enjoying the treats they brought from their hampers while chilling on bed-sized bean bags. But Sydney’s Moonlight Cinema is definitely an experience you can’t miss, perfect whether you’re on a date or, like me, if you’re treating your family to a pre-Christmas night out.

To add to the Christmas spirits, the surprisingly skilled Cadbury reps at the park performed a medley of the most famous Christmas songs while distributing chocolate just ahead of the film. At the end of the screening we even ran into the Santa motorbike ride, so add all of this to the general Christmas feeling of La La Land and you have the ideal Sydney Crimbo setting.

This year the Moonlight Cinema is showing some of 2o16’s most popular releases as well as some new movies - La La Land (which was an advanced screening) and Office Christmas Party are a case in point. Other screenings include: Suicide Squad, Bridget Jones’s Baby, Keeping Up with the Joneses, The Girl on the Train, Why Him?

An adult ticket to the Moonlight Cinema costs $19, with concessions going from $14.50 to $16.50. If you want to feel slightly more pampered, go for Gold Grass ($35) or Connoisseur Lounge ($30) tickets which include bean bags, otherwise available to rent for $9.

The Moonlight Cinema recommends you bring cushions, blankets and rugs to warm up as the sun goes down. Food at the venue is, although a bit pricy, really yummy. I went for the fries and pulled pork charcoal sliders ($16), but I would recommend bringing your own beer, Prosecco or popcorn to save on a few bucks.

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The Moonlight Cinema runs until 2 April 2017 so you’re still on time to book your tickets for the next releases. Even my dad, who doesn’t really speak English, enjoyed the experience – so it must be worth it.

Pictures: Twitter, Carolina Are

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