Zoo Summer Cinema

Overview

In summers gone by, Melburnians have descended upon the city's zoo to listen to live tunes, all while adorable animals were right there in the vicinity. No, scoping out these critters isn't just the domain of school excursions. This February and March, the venue still wants you to come by to see its creatures — but this time, it's pairing them with an outdoor cinema program.

Melbourne isn't short on spots to watch flicks under the stars, thanks to everywhere from Moonlight Cinema and Barefoot Cinema to the Classic and Lido's rooftop setups, but this just might be the cutest yet. You'll sit on the zoo's lawns, catch new and retro movies, and get to peer at all those animals. In fact, your entry ticket lets you into the zoo from 5.30pm, while the film won't start playing until around 8pm, depending on sunset times.

As for what you'll be watching between Thursday, February 3–Saturday, March 12, other than lions, elephants, gorillas, lemurs, koalas, wombats and more, the lineup spans recent releases such as The French Dispatch and Licorice Pizza, plus flat-out classics like Purple Rain, Romeo + Juliet and Alien. On the new front, there's also a sneak preview session of Joaquin Phoenix's excellent new drama C'mon C'mon, while the old-school selection includes 10 Things I Hate About You, Picnic at Hanging Rock, The Shining, The Princess Bride and Stop Making Sense as well.

The Birds and Jurassic Park are very fitting flicks on the bill, too, but there's no sign of We Bought a Zoo — sorry.

If you're peckish while you're there, a different food truck will set up shop each night, or you can nab food hampers by Baketico and Raymond Capaldi.

Tickets start at $35 for non-members, and also cover DJs spinning tunes and keepers giving talks before the movies. And, you'll be doing a good deed with your visit, with proceeds from ticket sales going to Melbourne Zoo's Marine Response Unit.