Open air cinema - what's it like?

[ExpletiveDelighted]

My FB seems to be full of listings for open air cinema this summer, I was wondering what it's like? Does everyone sit silently paying full attention like in the real cinema, or do people take picnics, chat a bit, sing along (mainly seems to be musicals). Also some offer headphones, some don't. What if it rains?

Some are drive in, some are walk in where you take a deckchair and picnic. If its a sing-along it's usually advertised as such. I've been to a Grease sing-along and Top Gun. Both great atmosphere. Yes, people were quiet bit not silent like in the indoor cinema.
If it rains you get wet, so you may need a rain coat. Umbrellas weren't allowed when I went. It didn't rain though.
We took a picnic, deckchair and blankets. It was lovely.

Whateveryou do, don’t go if you want to seriously watch a film in silence. Maybe you should stay at home and watch it. There was a lot of whistling especially through Dirty Dancing and a lot of singing (and even dancing) when we saw Mamma Mia. The experience is an entirely different affair to the cinema. Not that it’s any less enjoyable – you just have to approach the event with a fair bit of preparation.
Not all outdoor movies are the same. Some simply just host the movie, while others have a huge party beforehand with games, food, and more.
Yes there will be stands everywhere selling junk food but the queues are known to go on forever and then when you finally reach the front your choices can be limited, so stock up!
Bring toilet paper and handwash. Normally outdoor cinemas are at proper venues with proper toilets, but sometimes they’ll just be porter loos.
Know what time it actually starts. This may seem kind of silly, but it’s important! We didn’t read the fine print on the first one we went to and had no idea that the film didn’t actually start until 9ish. All we saw was that it went from 6 until 10, so we thought it was going to start then. Obviously, we were a bit naive, since it’s not dark at all at 6 PM! Anyways, we still had a lot of fun, but had we only wanted to attend the film part, it could have been frustrating just waiting around, hoping for it to start. In general, most outdoor movies won’t start until it’s dark enough to see the screen, so keep that in mind.
Having said that, you may want to get there early to pick your spot, preferably away from large groups which will more than likely be noisy.
People think the best viewing is as far away from the screen as possible. So wrong. Just 20-30 meters in front of the screen is great for viewing and sound.
You could simply sit on the grass for the film, but I don’t recommend it. It will start to get somewhat cold as it goes on, and I can almost guarantee you’ll be wishing you had more than just the cold grass to lay on! We brought a couple of big blankets to lay on the ground and cuddle up in.
Take insect repellant. As soon as the sun starts to set, out come all the insects attracted by all the sweet smelling food.
Most outdoor cinema eventscan proceed in rainy weather, so be prepared. As most of these events are sold out in advance, it’s a risk we all take. This is Britain after all so expect rain. To be honest we’ve done a few events in rain and it’s all part of the fun. It’s something different. One time it took 4 staff to hold the screen all night as the screen is just like a big sail once up and it was very windy!
Take a torch for finding your way back to the car.

I went to one last year (Moulin Rouge) with a group of about 12 friends. We walked as we live fairly close to the venue & wanted a glass of wine or two! We took drinks & snacks with us - this was permitted, but no glass or cans of drink.

We sat on folding chairs and/or rugs. It does get cold as starts after sundown, so wrap up warm or take a blanket to wear.

It wasn't advertised as a sing-along but most people did, it was a large venue so we couldn't hear other groups.

I'd advise taking insect repellent too.

All in all a great experience & lots of fun.

I mostly remember them being cold!! Take blankets to sit on and extra blankets to wrap around you. They're otherwise great fun. Picnics, drinks, singing and dancing then freezing as the sun goes down!

Thanks all, I have had a closer look at the website of the one near me now, it does indeed not start until 9.45 which I wouldn't have thought of. It's the Greatest Showman, so no doubt most will have seen it before and there will be some singing. It's in a park with a pavillion so hopefully that will be open for toilets, but it might be portaloos. Lots of good tips here, I would not have thought of insect repellant. We might take a car for all the stuff, but walk home leaving it there till the next day as its not too far.