Looking Back On Our Summer Of Drive-In Cinema

Sometime back in spring, as lockdown stretched out indefinitely and the summer event schedule was wiped clean, we started thinking about ways we could make our own fun. 

With several movie tours under our belts and drive-in cinemas popping up around the country, we figured what better way to bring the community together than our own series of open air film nights, set against one of Cornwall’s most beautiful coastal backdrops at Watergate Bay. 

First, we secured an eclectic lineup of surf and cult classics, from Point Break and Pulp Fiction to family favourites like Grease and Fisherman’s Friends, with the film’s shanty singing stars joining us for a live performance ahead of each Sunday showing.  

Then, we set about collaborating with a host of brands who could help transform each evening into much more than just a drive-in film screening. For food and drink, our friends at Wax took up the mantle, while Lucky Saint offered complimentary 0.5% ABV beer to every designated driver. In our little retail village, Watershed rolled out a line of custom threads for each movie, NeedEssentials displayed their range of fine surfing hardware, Golden Rays brought a selection of beautiful photo and art books and Uppercut Deluxe hopped on board to offer free haircuts. In collaboration with Vero True Social, we also offered every attendee the chance to win one of three Firewire surfboards, awarded for the best images captured at the event.

By the time the curtain fell on our final weekend, we’d welcomed over 10,000 of you to our clifftop location for 22 different screenings and almost as many incredible sunsets. We were blown away by all the positive feedback, which included The Finacial Times featuring us on their list of best drive-in cinemas around the world and Radio 2 DJ (and national treasure) Jo Whiley dubbing it ‘a fantastically organised event.’ 

Most importantly though, we’d like to say massive thank you to everyone who came along and made it such a special summer. We can’t wait to welcome you back for our next big event, already in the works.