Movie nights

Gather your community park group together to help navigate the logistics of the screening and pre-show. Figure out what time the sun sets and plan the rest of the timing based on when the movie will roll.  Be sure to connect with your city Councillor early on so they're aware of your plans so they can support you and help spread the word about the event. You can also reach out to the community and see if there are any additional volunteers who want to pitch in to make the event a success.

No matter what movie you decide to screen on your movie night, you will need to secure permits and licenses. Depending on your city bylaws, you may be able to get some of the permit fees waived. First, you’ll need to be in touch with an outdoor screening company in your city. You'll also need to secure a license to screen the movie. Be sure to work with the city to get a special event permit and insurance for your park event.

Attending a movie night is free for audience members, but there are some costs involved in screening a movie in the park. You'll likely need to pay for permits, insurance, the outdoor screen and film license, as well as printing and designing materials to promote your event. One way to raise funds for your event is by connecting to local sponsors. Look for local businesses that have some connection to the film you are showing (eg. a local toy store if you are showing Toy Story). Also, consider community-based businesses like real estate agents, hardware stores, and bank branches. Because these events are quite popular, sponsors may be likely to help you offset the costs. Take advantage of the pre-show to thank your sponsors or give them a chance to welcome the crowd. The pre-show is also a great opportunity to introduce your community park group to the neighbourhood and gather interest for future events.

To be a success, you need people to know that there's a movie night happening in the park. Make great posters and post them at local hot spots in your community like the community centre, library, apartment buildings and coffee shops. Try to get the information in the City Councillor’s newsletter and in the community newspaper, draw in sidewalk chalk near the playground, and work with volunteers to put flyers in mailboxes in proximity to the park. See if you can connect to the local school's parent council or principle to distribute flyers to school-aged kids.

It's time to plan the logistics of your movie night. Put signage in the park so people can easily find where the screening is taking place. Make sure you place your screen and sound system in an easily accessible, relatively flat, glare-free spot near a public restroom. There are some screen rental companies that can set up and figure out the sound system so you don’t have to. You may also want to ensure you have plenty of garbage receptacles to encourage guests to throw out their own trash. Create a schedule for the flow of the evening, keeping in mind the sunset time in your city. Make sure you have a table to share information about your park group and provide opportunities for people to sign up to get your e-newsletter and keep in touch to learn what's happening in the park.