Ben & Jerry’s Openair Cinemas St. Kilda

Breathe in the Openair!
Ben & Jerry’s Openair Cinemas is a treat, especially with Melbourne’s crazy but fun weather.
The atmosphere created behind St Kilda’s beach and the sunset is enough to fill your nostalgic heart, but the cherry on top is when the day turns to night and the stars and Moon come out to play. This is the scene you’re greeted with, on a Melbourne’s summer’s night when a great flick in Bridge of Spies starts at 8:30 PM.
I was impressed with the attention the staff took to ensure smooth running of the event, particularly when there was some drizzle of rain and we were given free rain ponchos.
If you bring your own foldout chairs, you can practically setup anywhere you like that’s not obstructing other peoples’ view. I highly recommend this option as sitting on the floor couldn’t be comfortable.
There was free drink samples for good measure and not sample size at all to our delight (they were full cups).
There’s a wide range of snacks that you can purchase from pizza to Ben & Jerry’s ice-​cream, the prices can range from good to expensive, so I would recommend to bring takeaway food or a picnic (I went with Laska King). If you do decide to buy here and you haven’t got Star Class seats for staff to bring your order to you, the wait time can be painfully long.
Parking can be found right next to Openair Cinemas for just under $ 15 for the whole day. Although this is not ideal, if you have foldout chairs and BYO food, it’s the most convenient option. You might be lucky enough to find someone leaving and kindly offer their ticket, which is what happened to me. A little luck can make the experience that much better.
There’s something familiar about watching a movie under the stars, behind city backdrops and lights, even though it can get cold, (I advise you bring a blanket during the night) it always feels right.
The professional setup, quality screening and perfect location makes Openair Cinemas an experience that should be compulsory on your to-​do list, like so many outdoor cinema experiences.
I would like to thank Unilocal for the complimentary double pass.

Openair Cinemas are one of those fun once in a while things that everyone should do. It’s not the most practical or comfortable way of experiencing a movie, but the atmosphere, opportunity to grab a few friends and a picnic, and sitting under the stars makes it worth checking out.
The Ben & Jerry’s St Kilda Foreshore sessions run in December in Melbourne. Which is kind of annoying, because Melbourne hasn’t really heated up by then so there is a chance of it being a bit cold or your preferred weather/​session not aligning. But as friends and I have discovered, it doesn’t matter what the weather is like during the day, the evening sessions at the movies get cold. REAL COLD! Bring layers and blankets. Especially if, like us, you choose a 3hour film to see and don’t finish up until well after midnight. Brrr.
It’s BYO food and non-​alcoholic drinks, which can make for a cheap evening out. They also had Ladro pizza on hand last year but the queues can be a little long.
I had the Star Class seats for the first time this year and it’s definitely worth the upgrade. You get a comfy beanbag to snuggle in, a blanket to keep you warm, a little VIP section at the back on an incline (I was worried it might be at the front, but it’s a prime viewing spot)…and most importantly — wait service! There is absolutely no need to move from the comfort of your beanbag or queue for ages for pizza and ice cream, because they’ll bring it straight to you and take your orders on an ipad. As someone who has previously found sitting on the ground a nightmare on my wrists, hips, elbows etc (how does one sit comfortably on a blanket?!) I would only go this option in future or get in early to spring for beanbag hire.

The idea of watching a 3 hour space epic involving wormholes, sarcastic robots, and Anne Hathaway outside on St. Kilda beach initially sounded crazy. Who would want to sit that long on a blanket watching a not Imax (or whatever) projection of Interstellar. Then, I thought about it some more and it sounded like a crazy good idea. Watching a movie about the adventure and wonder of space travel under the stars – what could be better? Then it sounded crazy again.
This went on and on up until the movie started and the sun went down. Turns out it was a great idea. I wish we had come correct, though, with a chair or something, but overall it was pretty nice.
A couple of suggestions: 1) pay extra and get a chair. We thought you could do this on site, but apparently you have to do it online. Still not sure how, but you are probably smarter than me. 2) Bring some food. The right choice will vary from movie to movie. 3) Go with the bottle of wine. There are no deals at a self-​contained outdoor theater, but if you are going to have more than one drink (and you will likely be there for at least 3 – 4 hours so, yes, you will have more than one drink) go with the wine over beer and the bottle over a glass. You will pay a lot, but it tastes good, will make sitting on your small piece of earth seem more reasonable, and hey its beautiful out here so stop complaining. All of this could be equally said of Melbourne in general.
The bottom line is that if you are going to go to a movie anyway, you might as well go to one outside on the beach. It will be expensive, crowded, and often annoying, but it will also be great. Take a deep breath buy a bottle of wine (or another bottle of wine…) and enjoy the show.

Thanks to @yelpmelbourne, we won a double pass to go see Point Break. For the record, I love outdoor cinemas, Keanu Reeves and bad acting, so seeing Point Break was utopia on a bean bag for me. We were treated like VIPs — seated in the special section and enjoying free Ben and Jerry’s ice cream. My only tip is to make sure you rug up and bring a blanket to share as it gets chilly on the foreshore, but watching a movie on the big screen under the stars and amongst St Kilda iconic landmarks is worth
it #swoon

Sitting by the beach, surround by lots of people, laying amongst the stars and the beautiful full moon!
Went last night for the Unilocal present: Point Break!.. Had a free double pass! Which was great! We hired some blankets got some ice creams and laid on the grass! It was really nice!
I hope I came more planned as a few deck chairs would have been nice! However 20 mins through the cinéma and moved to some spare bean bag lounge! And then it became Really comfy!
It was a great time, laying there outside, nice sized cinema, with a decent film! The beautiful sounds on the ocean behind me!
A great romantic night with the partner, we had a great time! Thanks Unilocal for this event and thanks to Ben and Jerry’s for putting this on!

There’s something about seeing a movie outside, wrapped up in a blanket, grass between your toes and a breeze from the ocean that makes it all the more exciting.
Bring a picnic (no booze though!), or buy snacks and meals from the onsite vendors and have dinner as the sun sets. I ate a crazy corn salad that had fresh corn, popped corn and puffed corn mixed through. It was a little weird, yet ridiculously delicious.
The bar has a small but respectable selection, including expensive (read: real) bottles of Champagne which presumably you have to drink from a plastic cup. This goes against every boozy moral fiber in my body, so we stuck to «sparkling» and sipped away as we watched the retro classic, The Breakfast Club.
Even though the cinema runs in summer, most nights down by St Kilda beach are bloody freezing so I’d suggest you layer up and pack your own blanket because trust me, you’re going to free your bits off.

I was lucky enough to score me tickets to Ben & Jerry’s Openair Cinema in St Kilda… The Breakfast Club was showing and, well, I had the biggest crush on Molly Ringwald when I first saw the movie so I wasn’t gonna miss it for the world!
Ben & Jerry’s have setup on the Lower Esplanade in St Kilda — a 20 mins ride on Tram No. 16 (if you’re coming from the CBD) will get you there. They’re on the South Beach Reserve and I don’t care how tough you are, you better come prepared (gloves, jacket, beenie, hoodie, blanket, another blanket, another pair of socks!) because I promise you, you’ll be freezing at night!
There are stands setup so you can get drinks, sliders and fries as well as Ice cream (go Choc Fudge!) — the Sliders are seriously good.
The deck chairs are pretty comfy or you can bring a sleeping back or mat — you know. whatever does it for you.
It’s real fun so, if you get a chance, give it a shot.

Rooftop, beach side, and large screen playing the NeverEnding Story? How can you not love that?!
For those south of the river, this a must. For about $ 22, you’re getting good value for money. There’s also live music and bar. My only complaint is that you can’t watch the movie until it’s dark so it will be a late start and finish, which is fine if you don’t have work the next day or live in St Kilda. Unfortunately, I have work the next day and live in Fitzroy, which means not getting home until 11.30ish.
If you’re north of the river, probably best to go to Shadow Electric in Abbotsford or Rooftop Cinema in the city.