Guests at Canberra's birthday celebrations all screamed for more ice cream last Monday, so Ben & Jerry's have now delivered.
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The international ice cream conglomerate is celebrating its recent arrival in Canberra's freezer sections via an open air cinema with a charitable and musical twist.
''Canberra's got some beautiful lakes and lawns so we are very happy to be able to take over some of the space and offer some cinematic cult classics, sunset cocktails, music, games and, of course, ice cream,'' Openair Cinema organiser Alex Khadra-Bosse said.
He said the outdoor festival event, which has been popular in Brisbane, St Kilda and Bondi, will return to Canberra in 2014 due to the overwhelming initial response from locals.
''The Facebook page of the Canberra leg of the national festival received more than 3000 likes in one week and the opening night was a sell out. We'll definitely be back,'' Mr Khadra-Bosse said.
Sunday night's opening night, aptly called the Sundae Session, saw a crowd of 500 flocking to Acton Park for an evening of unlimited ice cream, music by local electronic band Safia, Owl Eyes and Catcall before the sun went down and the Life of Pi was projected on to the inflatable big screen.
Melanie Gibbons and Simon Arnold of Narrabundah wanted to make the most of the sunshine and braved the early evening chill to try their favourite ice cream.
''We lived in London for five years and we've been waiting for it to arrive in Canberra. We were walking around the lake last weekend [during One Very Big Day] wondering if there would be a Ben & Jerry's stall,'' Ms Gibbons said as she tucked into her first cup of ice cream called the Maple Tree Hugger as her dog Charlie Brown looked on longingly.
All ticket sales from Canberra's Sundae Session were donated to OzHarvest, Fairtrade and Mission Australia.
Organisers are hoping Canberrans will ''embrace the spirit of an endless summer'' for the 10-day season which will feature screenings of Django Unchained, Les Misé´rables, Argo and classics such as The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Top Gun. As added extras, guests can also enjoy a fully licensed bar, food, endless scoops of ice cream boasting names like ''Phish Food'' and ''Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough'', a live DJ set on Monday to Friday and local live music before screenings on Saturday and Sunday.
Ben & Jerry's Openair Cinema in Canberra runs until March 27. Tickets start at $17 from www.openaircinemas.com.au. Door sales are also available.