Grab a blanket, your loved ones and get ready to snuggle up under the stars – New Westminster’s summer movie series is back.
Hosted by New Westminster Parks and Recreation, G&F Financial and Park Georgie Realty realtor Derrick Thornhill, the annual free outdoor movie series kicked off on July 11 with the super popular Frozen.
The series of outdoor films is a project brought to fruition by Sandon Fraser, youth services coordinator for the City of New Westminster, who felt the city needed to offer more free family-friendly events.
“A while ago there was discussion around more opportunities for families, more free opportunities for families in the city,” Fraser said.
This is the third year for the summer series and this year, as a way to get more people out to the screenings, Fraser and city staff sent out a questionnaire asking residents what movies they wanted to see on the big screen.
“It was good. We had close to 300 people respond and everyone got to vote on the movies they wanted to see and we used that list to guide what movies we would show,” he said.
Unlike past years, this year’s series is more balanced in terms of target audience. While all the movies are family-friendly, they aren’t simply the same old Disney flicks parents have seen over and over again (except maybe Frozen– but come on, it is a pretty entertaining flick).
This year’s lineup includes such classics as Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Grease, Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark and Top Gun (“Take My Breath Away,” anyone?). There’s also a handful of kid favourites including Muppets Most Wanted, Up, and Despicable Me 2.
“We tried to balance it between the older fan-favourites and newer movies that families and children would love,” Fraser said. “When you have such a wide age range, trying to please everyone can be hard to do but we thought we picked a good variety of movies.”
Attendance for the screenings has been well received so far, especially for Frozen, which saw one of the largest crowds in three years, Fraser said.
Attendance really depends on several factors including what other events are going on that evening, the weather and what type of movie is playing, he added.
“Cartoons and the family-oriented cartoons tend to be the busiest because all ages love it but parents will also bring their families and their children to it, while they might not necessarily bring them to a movie that’s geared to an older crowd,” he said.
Fraser also noted that this year’s series has garnered attention from residents of neighbouring communities and a consistent group of people from outside New Westminster has been coming out to enjoy the free events. This doesn’t mean the series will be expanded, however; Fraser said he’s happy with where it’s at now and is pleased to see the community jumping on the bandwagon.
“We’re starting to see other organizations come in and find ways they can contribute and support the event as well,” he said.
This year, the Hyack football team is running the concession with all proceeds going directly to the association, and Stage New West is offering free face painting before the films.
Same as previous years, the stadium doors open at 7 p.m. and the movie gets started at about 8:30 p.m. depending on the sunset that evening. The film could be cancelled due to poor weather so on dreary days be sure to call 604-527-4634 to confirm the screening is still on.
Tonight (July 25), residents can catch Muppets Most Wanted. Don’t forget a blanket and snacks or money for the concession stand.
For the full schedule of remaining movies visit tinyurl.com/MovieSeries or call 604-515-3775.
