Looking for something different to do on the weekends? Our new resident writer Mr. Pratt has recently discovered a gem that both visitors and Lagos residents can do. We’re sure you’ll love it.
There are nights that remind you of how beautiful Lagos can be; it’s always summer and pleasant, especially on days where it rains just enough to cool off the day. Easter Sunday was one of those days and I had to send the bat signal to bae (we still using bae or not in 2017? 😊 ) – date night was on. We decided to do something outdoorsy and settled on Picnickers Anonymous ‘PICNIC & A MOVIE’ series at the Café Neo compound, 19B Adeyemi Lawson, Ikoyi, Lagos. We had both seen the post on Instagram and thought it might be a fun new experience.
Picnics are always a fun way to spend time with family and friends. It also makes for a fun date, trust me fellas. Bae was responsible for the drinks and I the food. I cooked up a storm because I’m good like that in the kitchen. I packed our meals, grabbed a bottle of wine, put some beach chairs and a breakfast table in the trunk of my car and off I went.
Bae Nubian queen got there before I did and in her usual fashion had become best friends with a couple there (sidebar: Bae looked like flames like she always does 😉). The space wasn’t a typical park where you would have a picnic but it worked. There are benches/seats up front and behind the Café Neo building is a large lawn where people spread their mats and blankets for the picnic. They had a large, inflatable, projector screen upfront for the movie screening.
The beautiful weather, R&B music playing, adorable dogs running around, people chatting on mats, some holding hands, some kissing (I know the horror lol) etc. all made for a great outdoor vibe. We found a great spot with our new couple besties, got all the stuff out of the car, popped open the bottle of wine and got cozy.
The show time was advertised as 7:00pm but the movie started a bit later. It wasn’t a big deal as we were still enjoying our picnic.
The movie shown was ‘Set it off’ a 90’s classic movie with Jada Pinkett Smith, Queen Latifah and Vivica A. Fox. The video quality was good although I later noticed a sync problem between video and audio; however, it was not bad enough to ruin the viewing experience.
The lawn was really packed closer to the end of the night, so getting to these events on time is probably a sound idea to get prime real estate. Bug repellent is a must to ward off mosquitoes and a blanket if it gets a little chilly or you just want to be all cuddled up (thank me later fellas). If you love popcorn with your movies, they had popcorn popping as the movie got started so you could buy as much as you wanted.
We made new friends, reconnected with some old ones, great food from yours truly and good wine with Lagos Island as the backdrop made for a great date night. Bae wants to do #Movienic every weekend, that’s how much she loved it. I highly recommend checking out the event whenever it’s on again. You are bound to have a great time.
PS: You might want to hang back for a little bit to let the traffic clear up from the people leaving before you set out. There were quite a few families at the #Movienic so as a family, you should probably be aware of the movie showing because of potential steamy scenes. You don’t want little Obinna and Funke going blind. ‘Set it off’ has some steamy scenes.
You can follow ‘Nothing To Do In Lagos’ and ‘Picnickers Anonymous’ so you know when and where another screening is happening.
It’s great for dates, hanging with friends, family time or just spending Sunday evening differently.
Thing to Note Cost – N500 ($1.64) Limited parking is available in the compound. For the shisha lovers, they have some available for you to indulge in while you enjoy your movie.
Ever been to #Movienic? What were your thoughts? If you haven’t you should go for the next one.
*foreign conversion is based on the current rate of the Naira and is subject to change.
*prices written are based on the time the visit was made and is subject to change by the owners.
*Reviews are based on opinions and personal experiences, and may differ from person to person