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Halaal Food at the Galileo Outdoor Cinema

Last week I attended the launch of the Galileo Open Air Theatre at Kirstenbosch, running for its 13th season. Having attended the Galileo at least once every season, it was delightful to be part of the start of the 13th season. The screening was of the film, Midnight in Paris, which thankfully I had not seen before but was on my to-watch list.

As someone who loves an elevated movie experience, Galileo offers the perfect combination of a good selection of films, comfort, but outdoors under the stars. However the one thing I always found lacking from the very first season, was any halaal food offerings. I remember a time where going to the Galileo was equivalent to a big family picnic or that’s how it felt with the large assortment of snacks, food and drinks we usually brought along.

With season 13 of the Galileo, they have a stellar new addition, you guessed it- another halaal food vendor (finally). The entire experience for the evening was thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish. Over the years all the processes have become seamless from purchasing tickets, to getting in and out pretty quickly.

Now with Talladega Grill as their new halaal addition, the offering just became a whole lot better. For me, this was the very first time I didn’t have to take any snacks, drinks or food along. They have another halaal vendor called 2Kitchens, Middle Eastern & Mexican Cuisine. They have been operating at the Galileo in recent years.

Parking was easy to find near the entrance, at Gate 2 Kirstenbosch. The guys at the desk scan the ticket barcode on your phone (no more printing hardcopies), you get coupons for the backrest and blanket collection – and off you go. Next stop is just at the entrance walkway, you’ll find the team with backrests and blanket collection. Jodi was such a star, he assisted me with carrying and setting up blankets and backrests, after helping me choose a good spot. It’s still chilly in the evenings so I decided to dress warmly and bring along an extra blanket.

Once my spot was set-up I took a walk around to explore the food and snack options, then visited the media table. Upon entry I had already decided on getting a Talladega burger and something warm to drink. There is a concessions vendor called Sugar Pop, a hot drinks vendor, a pizza vendor (non-halaal) and then the two halaal food vendors, Talladega and 2Kitchens. So you literally can get all your snacks, food and drinks right at the Galileo now.

I ordered the buttermilk chicken burger with fries and then went to grab a hot chocolate. I stopped at Sugar Pop for some popcorn. The wait for the burger was a little while as the lines got quite long, so remember to go a bit early not only for the parking and a good spot but also due to the food wait times.

We got our food and headed to our spot to settle in. The movie started pretty much on time at 19:30. I enjoyed the film, it had depth, a good protagonist character journey and took you back to an era long past, the 1920s. Plus who doesn’t love a film set in Paris.

As the film ended, the pack up process was also seamless. We took the backrests and blankets back to the entrance as we left, where the team was ready to assist in collecting everything.

All in all a wonderful evening activity for families, friends and couples- open over the next few months. Check out the Galileo website for their season 13 movie line up and various venues here: www.thegalileo.co.za/movies.

By Rafieka Banderker
Accountant by profession, writer at heart. Avid traveller, adrenaline junkie and bookworm.
“You were born with wings, why prefer to crawl through life”- Rumi
The above quote pretty much sums me up. I live life to its absolute fullest!  

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