Going to the movies outdoors with Fresh Air Cinema

Going to a Fresh Air Cinema event (or two) should be on everyone’s “Must Do” list for the summer.

FREE IS GOOD | In the 1950s, when cars and families were big but budgets were small, drive-in movies were the perfect inexpensive way to spend a night out. Now there’s Fresh Air Cinema, which is not just frugal, it’s absolutely free.

It’s also fun. Last summer in David Lam Park, more than 5,000 moviegoers were illuminated by a massive inflatable movie screen as they shouted, “Who you gonna call—GHOSTBUSTERS!” along with the theme song. A local business association put on the event, and Fresh Air Cinema provided the three-storey movie screen. It was one of hundreds of free events across Canada for which Fresh Air Cinema supplied the evening’s entertainment.

Jason Bashnick, one of the owners, considers Fresh Air Cinema to be “a rental company with a twist” where a community or business association uses their services to host an event. Fresh Air Cinema has done everything from backyard parties to the 2010 Olympics (they provided viewing screens for streaming events) and this season expects to be at 350 events across Canada including a weekly series at Second Beach in Stanley Park in July.

Fresh Air Cinema doesn’t just provide entertainment. It also builds community. The novelty of a gathering at dusk brings people out and makes the air buzz with the excitement of friends greeting and children playing before the film begins (some of whom have been there since early afternoon staking out the best seats). During the feature, patrons laugh, quote lines along with the actors and cheer the action. It’s an interactive event because Fresh Air Cinema chooses films that people are passionate about and can’t wait to see again under the stars. —Natasha Irvine