Strangers start trickling in, balancing cups of matcha and popcorn. A group laughs over an icebreaker game that’s getting progressively sillier.

Later, when the music softens and the projector hums to life, everyone settles into soft chairs under the open sky – friends, couples, and a few solo attendees, now chatting like old buddies.

It feels effortless – but behind this simple joy is Bandit, a social experience designed by two long-time friends who believe that hanging out shouldn’t feel like a lost art.

“We live in a time where we’re super connected online,” said Neil Gerard Kang, 25, who works in marketing.

“But I probably haven’t seen some of my friends in half a year. It’s not that we don’t want to – planning is just a hassle. And even if you do manage to meet up, what do you actually do together?” Kang added.

That question became the starting point for Bandit, a community event that blends structured play with laid-back connection. Each session features one active activity, followed by a passive one.

“You start the night with games that make you laugh and meet people,” explained Tyson Tan Hui Yuen.

“Then we all just slow down together for the outdoor movie screening. You don’t have to talk if you don’t want to – you just sit there, feel the atmosphere, and enjoy the moment with people around you,” Tan added.

The idea first struck Tan earlier this year while walking through Parc at night. “It was so beautiful and underused,” the 25-year-old recalled. “I thought, why not add some lights, create a warm atmosphere, and make it a space for people to connect?”

When he pitched the idea to Kang, the concept evolved quickly – from a casual thought to a recurring, ticketed event that now attracts a growing crowd of curious Malaysians.

The name Bandit itself carries personal meaning.

“We were kind of the outcasts in school,” Tan said. “We were bullied, called weird. We were the social rejects. And now here we are, bringing people together.”

Kang nodded. “The name felt right. Bandits don’t stay in one place – they move around, build little camps. We want to do that too,” he said.

Their first event, which screened 2009’s stop action animated film “Coraline”, sold out – at RM35 for regular seats and RM45 for premium, front row seats, complete with a café-grade drink and keepsake.

But it wasn’t the numbers that surprised them most.

“During the social games, people started talking so much that some of them forgot about the game entirely,” Kang mentioned.

“They were exchanging Instagrams! Malaysians are usually quite shy, but it turns out we just needed the right space to open up,” he said.

That “space” is what Bandit hopes to multiply – twice a month, in different locations.

The duo is already dreaming up riverside sessions, campsite editions, and even collaborations with cafés. They also plan to have post-event sessions to keep the conversations and newly-formed friendships going.

At its heart, though, Bandit is about something deeper than entertainment.

“There’s this epidemic of urban loneliness,” Tan said. “We’re all connected but alone. I’ve felt it too.

“It’s important in this day and age that we can have authentic and genuine experiences where you’re not forced to do anything. You can just go there and be yourself. It’s lacking in today’s environment. Bandit gives that back,” Tan added.

That’s the magic of Bandit – proving that connection needs no grand gesture, just a movie, an open field, and two friends who made hanging out cool again.

Follow Bandit on Instagram.