Bright alfresco ideas – Hire an outdoor cinema

Hire an outdoor cinema and change your alfresco life for the better! We’re full of bright alfresco ideas. It’s a lifetime thing. We’ve always loved spending time outdoors, and we are constantly on the look-out for fresh ways to make outdoor life even more exiting and fun. So how about you hire an outdoor cinema? Let’s explore…

What you need to know

First, what exactly is an outdoor cinema? And do you really need to hire something special? Can’t you just take your telly outdoors?

An outdoor cinema consists of all the bits and bobs needed to project top quality images with sound. That means you need a good quality movie projector, a screen, and a sound system. You could cobble together the parts you need from equipment you already have in the house but to be honest, these days, it’s easier to hire an outdoor cinema from the experts so you know for sure it’ll do the job it’s designed for.

How about your TV? That’s an easy question. Best keep that indoors. While you can create a permanent TV set-up in an outdoor building, televisions aren’t designed to be used outdoors. They’re very vulnerable to the weather, and to dirt and dust blown around by the wind. The screen is usually too small and the picture quality isn’t as good as you get from a purpose-built outdoor cinema kit.

Outdoor projectors, streaming devices and sound systems

What sized projector do you need to hire? The size of your outdoor space matters, as does the size of the screen and the projector’s brightness. Outside after dark you’ll need a projector offering at least 3000 lumens of light to give you that unique cinema experience.

Next, consider the space surrounding it – you’ll need to leave 5-10 feet of clear space between the seating and the screen for comfortable watching, otherwise you’ll end up with cricks in your necks.

It’s good to know that the screen and the rest of the kit can be fitted, by the hire company, to everything from outside walls to buildings, fence posts, and even inside the frame of a gazebo or pergola. And that’s another great thing about hiring an outdoor cinema system. The company you hire from will answer your questions about your outdoor space, how to set everything up, and any other technical details you need to know. Many outdoor cinema hire firms will deliver the hired kit and set it up for you. Some will stick around just in case there are any technical hitches to fix, then dismantle everything for you at the end of the evening.

You’ll need either a laptop or some kind of content streaming device. It’ll need to connect to the projector, usually via a HDMI connection. Yet another great reason to hire an outdoor cinema – when you hire, you know for sure the different bits of tech will talk to each other properly.

Finally, you need sound. While a good speaker will do the job, when connected to the projector’s jack socket, wireless is today’s most popular outdoor cinema hire choice. A contemporary Bluetooth enabled cinema set-up means you can achieve those dramatic cinematic sound effects that make a night at the movies so special.

What sized space do I need?

There’s no need for an enormous garden. The good news is, an outdoor cinema can be set up in virtually any size of garden or patio. As long as you have the space for your guests to sit far enough away from the screen for a great experience, it’ll do nicely. Your hire firm will provide the advice you need.

What about the weather? It’s famously unpredictable in the UK, which can make planning a bit tricky unless you happen to invest in a stunning, practical garden gazebo, a structure you can stay dry and warm under. Some people set up their outdoor cinema in a large bell tent, which keeps the breeze and the chill off late into the night.

Outdoor cinema occasions

What occasions are our customers enjoying with a big screen in the garden? Date nights are a biggie, with couples watching romantic classics like Dirty Dancing, Pretty Woman, and Ghost in their gardens, along with a glass of something bubbly, something you almost never get to do at the movies!

Anniversaries and birthdays are the perfect occasions for movie nights. Kids adore it – imagine putting on a child’s birthday party with a big screen outdoors? Such fun.

You don’t even have to show a movie. How about showing family videos, the perfect accompaniment to a celebration for someone you love? If someone in your family adores Only Fools and Horses you could stream the series back-to-back throughout the evening. And a big screen makes a brilliant focus for a teen party, together with cinema-style snacks and drinks.

You could hire an outdoor cinema to put on your own film festival. Maybe even a street party? Silver screen classics, black and white films, silent Keystone Cop and Charlie Chaplin movies, musicals and cowboy films, spaghetti westerns and dance spectaculars, it’s all at your fingertips.

Where to hire an outdoor cinema?

Check Google for your nearest local outdoor cinema hire experts. Since lockdown, like many other alfresco delights, the trend has boomed so there should be a decent choice.

You can’t go to the movies? Don’t want to spend time at the cinema? No worries. Do it at home. Add alfresco food and great company and you might just find it’s more fun than going to the actual movies, in a real cinema, could ever be.