Fun, frolics and films- take your pixel!

Helen Dyrbye is a published author, translator and former scout leader from East Anglia in England who relocated to Denmark a long time ago and loves it here as much as ‘back home’.

Boo hoo! Halloween is almost over and the pumpkins are good and mouldy. And now that the ‘screams’ have faded, it’s time for ‘screens’. 

Jake and I have been out screening fun activities to recommend for the Kids Corner column. And this time we’ve chosen two and they both involve pixels. BIG ONES!

Pixelade – holy cow!
Ever sat watching your kids poke an iPad screen with just one finger and wondered what they’d do if they woke up inside a Minecraft game? Well now you can find out. First Nikolaj Church was converted into an art centre some time ago. And now it’s been completely transformed into a huge pixel playground. 

Better get mooooving
If you’ve ever felt like a square peg in a round hole, you’ll feel totally at home in this quadratic landscape complete with colourful cubic cushions and cows. Yes, cows. Why cows? Why not! Why are they snoring? Who knows? But you can’t help smiling as you listen with your ear up close to their white furry tummies. Better get moooooving though as the exhibition closes on November 9.

Hard to sit still and soft to flop about
Step one … take off your shoes. Step two … go inside and gasp. Step three … absorb the weird sounds, lighting and alternating atmosphere. And step four isn’t so much a step as a flop, wriggle and hopscotch of fun and games: hunt the pixel (photograph a pixel cluster while no-one is looking, and then the others try and find it – getting warmer etc), stack a tower, and throw yourself into whatever other game you find on the cards provided (in Danish) or dream up yourself. Wow!

At the drive-in
Jake and I both have birthdays in November and we’re planning a trip to see Dumb and Dumber To, which opens at the drive-in on November 27. There’s no better way to see a film than cuddled up with quilts and scoffies in the comfort of your own car. 

You can explain the plot where necessary without disturbing other people. Crackle candy wrappers all you like. And you don’t have to waste time vying for elbowroom on the armrest with complete strangers. 

A great night ‘out’
I’m not sure I should admit to this, but when Zac was a baby, my friend Jane and I drove him round singing him to sleep in his baby seat and then headed for the silver screen and a night out under the stars. No babysitter needed. And now, no doubt, Dr Watson our dog would appreciate being taken along rather than left home alone. Dogs are welcome and make nice furry hot water bottles on a cold night.

The pits – perfect!
Lynge Drive-in Bio, billed as possibly Europe’s largest drive-in cinema, was founded in 1961 in a disused gravel pit. It has three huge screens and is open from April to November, though the programme says the Hobbit premiere will be shown on Wednesday 10 December. 

Boys in Black
We saw ‘Men in Black’ there one summer. Jake and Louis wore black suits and dark sunglasses and looked pretty cool strolling between the cars. Remember the flashy things. No, not the standard issue flashy neuralysers used by agents Jay and Kay in the MiB movie to make mere mortals forget alien episodes. No. The flashy things to remember are your headlights, which have to be off during the movies. Side-lights are allowed if it’s raining and you need the windscreen wipers on.

Tune in
If your own car radio doesn’t work, you can loan a radio to tune into the soundtrack, but there are a limited number available.
The gate opens one hour before the show starts, and you can buy ticvkets on site or online (see box). For the children’s films, kids pay full rate, but under-sevens don’t need to pay for other kinds of films. So wrap up and pack in!


Nikolaj Kunsthal

Nikolaj Plads 10, Cph K; open Tue-Sun 12:00-17:00, Thu 12:00-21:00, closed Mon; tickets 20kr, under-15s free adm, free on Wed, concessions availible, nikolaj@nikolajkunsthal.dk

Drive-in Bio

Nymøllevej 5, Lynge; tickets; Car with 1 person: 85kr, 2:170kr, 3:250kr, 4:330kr, 5:380kr; Tel. 48189090; driveinbio.dk

More photos and stuff

You'll find more photos and a square doodle game that Jake and I have made up at www.helendyrbye.blogspot.com- perfect for killing time in airports.