There may not be any such thing as a free lunch; however, in Greensboro there is certainly such a thing as a free movie. In fact, starting in May, there will be a whole slew of them.
And not just second-rate flicks either. For 2019, Greensboro Downtown Parks Inc. has partnered with UNC-Greensboro to bring to town an impressive lineup of films – many of them blockbusters – for free movie nights in LeBauer Park.
As the two groups have done in the past, this year they’ve teamed up to present Spartan Cinema: a series of Friday night movie screenings at LeBauer Park in downtown Greensboro. Though seeing all the movies in the theater with a family of four would cost about $1,000, all the movies at the park are free and open to the public.
The series kicks off on Friday, May 10, with a showing of Golden Globe-nominated “Crazy Rich Asians” – a very funny, over the top film that explores themes of cultural and class differences against the backdrop of a swanky Asian wedding.
Spartan Cinema continues through the end of spring and well into summer, and the movies will wrap up in late August with two superhero films that did well at the box office: “Aquaman” and “Spiderman: Into the Spider Verse.”
Attendees can enjoy food and beverages from Ghassan’s Fresh Mediterranean Eats, Porter House Burgers at the Park, Café Europa and a choice of food trucks.
May 10: Crazy Rich Asians
May 17: Incredibles 2
May 24: Isle of Dogs
May 31: Ralph Breaks the Internet
June 7: Avengers: Infinity War
June 14: Ferdinand
June 21: Bohemian Rhapsody
June 28: Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
July 12: Mary Poppins Returns
July 19: Small Foot
July 26: The Meg
Aug 2: The Princess Bride
Aug 9: The Greatest Showman
Aug 16: How to Train Your Dragon 2
Aug 23: Aquaman
Aug 30: Spider-Man: Into the Spider Verse
The lawn opens at 5 p.m. each night and all movies begin at sunset, however, the festivities begin earlier than that each evening: Throughout the series, UNCG and Greensboro Downtown Parks will be hosting a variety of family-oriented pre-movie activities.
Also, on June 14th, in partnership with InFocus Advocacy, Downtown Parks will be piloting “a sensory-friendly movie night at the screening of Ferdinand (PG).” In a press release, the organization stated, “Self-advocates with varying disabilities will be training our staff to help us put together a more inclusive movie experience for all families, as our organization expands its commitment to providing equitable access and engagement for our community. Also new for this year, all movies will be presented with closed-captioning.”
For a full list of events, people can visit greensborodowntownparks.org or check out the Greensboro Downtown Parks and UNCG Facebook pages.
