Every summer, thousands of people spread out on the grass at four outdoor cinemas around Perth: Burswood, Bassendean, Murdoch University and ECU Joondalup Pines. Volunteers run the lot, and every dollar left over goes to WA kids' charities. That's Telethon Community Cinemas. Since 2023 we've supplied around 350 of the bean bag lounges people hire for the night, all delivered to Perth filled and ready to use.
It's a job I like for a simple reason. Every one of those bean bags gets hired out night after night, and the money goes to kids.
Doing good through movies
The cinemas started in 1997 as Movies by Burswood, founded by Ken Gibbons, and they're still run largely by volunteers. Ken was a WA finalist for Local Hero in the 2022 Australian of the Year awards, and in 2026 he was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for the work.
The numbers are big for a volunteer outfit. Between 500 and 700 volunteers help out each season, and the cinemas have now raised $14 million for WA children's charities, with Telethon as the main partner. The 2025 season set records for attendance and bean bag hire, and the 2026 season drew almost 78,000 people.
Plenty of local businesses back it too. Kleenheat has been a partner since 2010, and Duratec has been a platinum sponsor for more than a decade.
How a night at the cinema works
People turn up early, spread a picnic out on the grass and watch the sun go down before the film starts. You can bring your own pillows and blankets, or hire a bean bag for the night. The season starts in late November and runs into April, and Burswood, the biggest site with about a third of all patrons, keeps going through to May.
That's where our bean bags come in. Every hire is money for the charity, so the more comfortable the lounges are, the more of them go out each night.
Visit www.communitycinemas.com.au for more information on session times this season.
What we supplied
All of it was our Media Lounge, the angled lounger we make for outdoor cinemas. It's 1680D PU-coated polyester with 50+ UV protection and mould treatment, and it holds you reclined at the right angle to watch a screen for a whole film.
- 2023: 99 Media Lounges in blue for Burswood, filled with 300 litres of beans each.
- 2024: 100 in charcoal grey for Burswood, delivered filled at the end of November, in time for the season.
- 2025: 100 in charcoal for the ECU Joondalup Pines cinema.
- 2026: 50 more in charcoal for Burswood, this time filled with 350 litres each for a firmer seat.
That's around 350 Media Lounges and more than 100,000 litres of beans in four years.
Getting the timing right
A summer cinema has one date that matters: opening night. In 2024 Burswood opened on 11 December, so the bean bags had to be filled and on site by the end of November. If you're running a summer season, talk to us by September. That leaves time to make the covers, get them across the country and have them filled before the first film.
How we get filled bean bags to Perth
We're on the Gold Coast, and Perth is the other side of the country. A filled Media Lounge is mostly air, and freighting hundreds of them across the Nullarbor makes no sense.
So the covers travel flat, ten cartons to a hundred bean bags. Our filling partners in Perth fill each one, and they're delivered filled to the cinema. For the 2025 order the covers came straight from our manufacturer to Perth by FedEx.
Why hire bean bags work for a community cinema
- They pay their way. Patrons hire a lounge for the night, so every bean bag earns money for the cause every time it's used.
- They suit grass. A low lounger on a sloped or tiered lawn means people behind can still see the screen.
- They survive a season outdoors. UV, dew, spilt drinks and the odd shower, night after night from November to May.
- One colour, reordered. Sticking with charcoal means new lounges sit in with last season's and the rows look like one set.
Running an outdoor cinema or charity event?
Have a look at the Media Lounge, our custom and branded bean bags, my festival seating guide and our outdoor cinema seating guide. For more outdoor screens, see what we supplied to Rooftop Movies in Northbridge, The Star's Skyline Cinema in Brisbane and QV Live in Melbourne.
If you're in Perth, our Perth bean bags page covers delivery to WA and what Perth buys from us.
Call me on 1800 888 911 with your numbers and dates.
Debra DeBoer
Bean Bags R Us
