Kentish Express Ashford & District - What's On
BFG and sci-fi in open air
Open air cinema will return to a country park in Kent after its first year proved popular. Disney’s The BFG, sci-fi adventures and a film of your choosing will all come to Betteshanger Country Park near Deal for the cinema season, which runs from May to September. Set in the heart of the 250-acre park, both the cinema screen and natural auditorium are uncovered. The screenings will go ahead come rain or shine, and tickets have been released at early-bird rates this week.
The BFG, starring Ashford-born Mark Rylance, and telling Roald Dahl’s imaginative tale of Sophie and her encounters with a kindhearted giant, kicks the season off on Saturday, May 6.
On Saturday, June 24, there will be an all-nighter with a latenight double bill of sci-fi hits Galaxy Quest and
Moon. There will also be stargazing activities, a midnight feast and open air breakfast, with cinemagoers aged 16 and over able to camp or bivouac. The first screening is at 9.30pm, and the second at midnight. On Saturday,
August 19, film fans can vote for which movie they would like to see out of Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them, Beauty and the Beast and Beasts of the Southern Wild. Votes can be cast via Betteshanger social media or in person at the park by Monday, April 17.
On Saturday, September 16, Tim Burton’s adaptation of the Lewis Carroll classic, Alice Through the Looking Glass, will be the season finale. Visitors are encouraged to create their own Mad Hatter’s Tea Party before the screening at 8pm. Pack a comfy chair, a blanket and a hamper and sit back, popcorn at the ready.
Tracy Brunt, Betteshanger’s event manager, said: “We hope our open air cinema season becomes a firm fixture of the Kent summer. “Being at Betteshanger after dark is a special experience that not many people have the opportunity to enjoy. Our moonlit movies, set against a backdrop of spectacular sunset views over Sandwich Bay and the Thanet coast, make for a good fun, great value, night out.” To book tickets, which include early bird rates, visit betteshanger
park.co.uk