Looking to take your programming up a notch? Simple event ideas and promotional tactics require minimal effort while delivering big results. Or, invest a little more time to create more unique enhancements that best reach your target audience. Either way, we included our top tips for both below in order to help you maximize the success of your movie screenings this year.

Enhance your movie screenings with simple yet engaging event ideas that are applicable to almost any title!

1. Host a movie series featuring movies with a common theme, such as Disney movies or classic horror movies.
2. Collaborate with local food trucks to offer a variety of delicious and unique food options for moviegoers to enjoy.
3. Set up a photo booth with movie-themed props and backdrops for moviegoers to take pictures before or after the movie.
4. Organize a trivia game about the movie being shown, with prizes for the winners.
5. Offer free popcorn or other movie snacks.

“Our Merry Little Christmas Celebration included Santa arriving by fire truck, vendors in chalets, awesome Christmas decorations, and the local scout troupe selling meals as a fundraiser. We also gave away decorated sugar cookies and free popcorn!”

– Ohio County Tourism, INC.  

6. Host a pre-movie concert featuring local musicians or bands.
7. Set up a craft station where moviegoers can make their own themed souvenirs.
8. Partner with a local brewery or winery to offer a beer or wine tasting before or after the movie.
9. Host a lively karaoke competition before your movie event, so attendees can showcase their vocal talents and love for music while competing for fun prizes.

“We hosted a Community Movie Night in our park. It is an annual event that brings families to our park for activities, games, food, fun, and family time. Before our screening of "Sing 2," we had karaoke, games, food trucks and more. It's an annual event that everyone looks forward to."

– City of Fairborn: Parks & Recreation Department

10. Offer a VIP seating area with comfortable seating, blankets and pillows for moviegoers who want to upgrade their viewing experience.
11. Host a "date night" movie event, where couples can cuddle up on blankets and watch a romantic movie under the stars.
12. Organize a movie scavenger hunt where moviegoers can hunt for hidden items related to the movie being shown.
13. Have a themed movie night, such as a "70s night" where only movies from that era are shown, or a "superhero night" featuring superhero movies.
14. Set up a game area with lawn games like cornhole, giant Jenga, and ladder toss for moviegoers to play before or after the movie.

“We bring yard games, field games and other fun outdoor play onto the field. Additionally, we have plenty of space for families to bring balls and gloves, walk the track, and just generally spend time together before the movie.”

– Framingham Parks & Recreation

15. Offer a special kids' area with kid-friendly movies, face painting and games to keep the little ones entertained.

For programming ideas specific to top titles, check out our Programming Guide.

Attract the largest crowd with easy and effective promotional strategies.

1. Use social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to promote the event to your community and share updates regarding the event.
2. Create a dedicated event page on your website with all the details of the event and a registration form to help you keep track of attendance.

“Our most effective promotional tactic was curating a rack card with the movie showing that we distributed to each elementary school in our county, local businesses, and local Visitor center. Businesses in our downtown also helped promote this event on their social channels, as well as a poster in their windows. This event was also promoted on our event page on our website and Facebook.”

– Destination Downtown Lancaster’s Saturday Cinema Movie

3. Leverage email marketing to reach out to your mailing list and promote the event, including details such as movie titles, dates, and times.
4. Create eye-catching posters and flyers to promote the event in local businesses, libraries, schools, and community centers.
5. Create a hashtag for the event and encourage attendees to share photos and posts on social media using the hashtag.

“We have five elementary school sites where our Youth Services division provides before and after school child care. I personally went to those schools and handed out flyers the week before the event to families when they dropped off or picked up their children.”

– City of SLO Parks & Recreation

6. Partner with local businesses to offer discounts or coupons for attendees to use before or after the screening, like pre-movie appetizers, or post-movie drinks or ice cream.
7. Host a photo contest on social media where attendees can share photos of themselves at the event and win prizes.
8. Use guerrilla marketing techniques, such as sidewalk chalk or street art, to promote the event in public spaces.

“Our marketing department used Swank’s ‘Promo toolkit’ to create posters to distribute at our other Spring and Summer events/programs. The poster is also displayed on community boards around town: park bulletin boards, grocery stores, libraries, local gyms, etc. Plus, we created a Facebook event.”

– City of Fairborn: Parks & Recreation Division’s annual movie night

9. Host a post-event survey to gather feedback and suggestions from attendees to improve future events.
10. Create a giant movie-themed mural or graffiti wall in the park to promote the event and encourage people to take photos.’

To create easy promo materials, check out our free promo materials.