Hastings pier kicked off its summer open-air cinema season with a song and a dance at the weekend. Over the bank holiday weekend, three films were shown, Back to the Future, Titanic and Mamma Mia!
My friends and I went to see Mamma Mia! – a film about a young girl in search of her father, set around her wedding on a remote Greek island and using a lot of Abba songs to tell the story. We booked ahead which was lucky as when we arrived the premium deckchair area (£12 a head) was sold out. The doors opened at 8:15pm and when we arrived just before, the queue stretched for hundreds of yards. But we were quickly inside, stocking up with hot dogs, drinks and unfolding our blankets.
It was a lovely setting in which to watch the film and as night drew in, we could hear the waves crashing in to the shore. The atmosphere was friendly and warm (making up for the plummeting temperatures), the audience was mainly female and you could hear people singing along to all of the songs.
The pier has a great selection of films on over the next two months, including Grease, Quadrophenia, The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Pirates of the Caribbean – The Curse of the Black Pearl. A standard adult ticket, sitting on the wooden steps costs £10.
The idea of sitting at the end of a pier watching a film as night falls, with a stiff sea breeze in the middle of an English summer is not entirely sensible, but highly recommended. So what if it rains (a bit)? There is nothing to stop you dancing to warm yourself up. At least, that was our excuse.
Photos: Seana Lanigan