Asheville Parks & Recreation brings free movies under the stars to Pack Square Park
A tradition for many mountain families returns to Pack Square Park on Friday, May 13.
Asheville Parks & Recreation’s popular Movies in the Park series begins its 2022 season with a showing of Encanto. Community members are invited to bring blankets, lawn chairs, and snacks to the free viewing, which begins at dusk. Prior to the screening, the Rec n Roll Play Zone opens at 7 p.m. with games, giveaways, and other activities for kids and teens. Additional movies are scheduled for the second Friday of the month throughout the summer.
“Friday night movies are a popular pastime and this brings people out of their homes to enjoy fan favorites on the big screen with a spectacular backdrop – City Hall’s art decor exterior flanked by the rising mountains and a night sky full of stars,” according to Nikki Cales, coordinator for Movies in the Park. “We’re excited to offer this free movie series for people who want to spend time together outdoors.”
If You Go
- All movies begin at dusk in Pack Square Park on 80 Court Plaza in downtown Asheville.
- Rec n Roll Fun Zone programming starts at 7 p.m.
- Pets, smoking, and alcohol are prohibited.
- Free parking is available in marked spaces on city streets and in city-owned lots on Marjorie Street after 6 p.m.
Movies in the Park’s 2022 Lineup:
May 13: Encanto (rated PG for some thematic elements)
-The Madrigals are an extraordinary family who live hidden in the mountains of Colombia in a charmed place called the Encanto. The magic of the Encanto has blessed every child in the family with a unique gift — every child except Mirabel. However, she soon may be the Madrigals last hope when she discovers that the magic surrounding the Encanto is now in danger
June 10: Space Jam: A New Legacy (rated PG for some language and cartoon violence)
– When LeBron James and his young son Dom are trapped in a digital space by a rogue A.I., LeBron must get them home safe by leading Bugs, Lola Bunny and the whole gang of notoriously undisciplined Looney Tunes to victory over the A.I.’s digitized champions on the court: a powered-up roster of professional basketball stars as you’ve never seen them before. It’s Tunes versus Goons in the highest-stakes challenge of his life, that will redefine LeBron’s bond with his son and shine a light on the power of being yourself.
July 8: Jungle Cruise (rated PG-13 for adventure violence)
– Take a rollicking thrill-ride down the Amazon with wisecracking skipper Frank Wolff and intrepid researcher Dr. Lily Houghton. Lily travels from London, England to the Amazon jungle and enlists Frank’s questionable services to guide her downriver on La Quila–his ramshackle-but-charming boat. Lily is determined to uncover an ancient tree with unparalleled healing abilities–possessing the power to change the future of medicine. Thrust on this epic quest together, the unlikely duo encounters innumerable dangers and supernatural forces, all lurking in the deceptive beauty of the lush rainforest. But as the secrets of the lost tree unfold, the stakes reach even higher for Lily and Frank and their fate – and mankind’s – hangs in the balance.
August 12: Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (rated PG)
– When kids sneak into inventor Wayne Szalinski’s upstairs lab to retrieve an errant baseball, his experimental shrink ray miniaturizes them. When Szalinski returns home, he destroys the device – which he thinks is a failure – and dumps it in the trash, throwing out the kids along with it. The four children, now 1/4-inch tall, must survive the journey back to the house through a yard where sprinklers bring treacherous storms and garden-variety ants stampede like elephants.
Asheville Parks & Recreation
Established in 1954, the Asheville Parks & Recreation Department manages a unique collection of more than 65 public parks, playgrounds, and open spaces throughout the city in a system that also includes full-complex recreation centers, swimming pools, Riverside Cemetery, sports fields and courts, and community centers that offer a variety of wellness-, education-, and culture-related programs for Ashevillians of all ages. With 8 miles of paved greenways and numerous natural surface trails, its complete portfolio acts as the foundation of a vibrant hub for the people of Asheville to connect with their neighbors and explore the natural beauty of a livable and walkable city.
Driven by the promise that Asheville is a better and safer place when everyone from infants to retirees has the opportunity to be supported, healthy, and successful, Asheville Parks & Recreation was the first nationally-accredited municipal recreation department in the United States. For the latest updates, follow the department on Facebook @aprca and Instagram @ashevilleparksandrecreation or visit www.ashevillenc.gov/parks.