ORLANDO — Lake Eola Park has long been considered one of the jewels of downtown Orlando, a place that offers boat rides on the lake, an evening light show set to music, restaurants for dining by the water, and special events like the Downtown Food & Wine Fest in February.
Now the city in trying to get out the word that Lake Eola is the ideal place to do something else: catch an outdoor movie.
Last month, the city launched Movieola, a free monthly movie series in Lake Eola Park.
It kicked off on Friday, April 25 with the animated hit “Frozen,” and the Movieola series continues on the last Friday of every month through August — an entire summer of movies in the park.
It’s a free event, and as the city notes, the screenings are always of family-friendly movies. The public is invited to show up on the East Lawn of the park with a blanket or picnic, and the event starts at 6:30 p.m. with lawn games, music and food that will be available for purchase.
The feature movie starts playing at 8 p.m.
Outdoor movies have been a popular tradition in tropical Central Florida. The Enzian Theater in Maitland hosts an going outdoor movies series called Wednesday Night Pitcher Shows, a free outdoor screening on the Enzian lawn. Upcoming movies there include “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” on May 21 at 8 p.m., “Super Troopers” on June 4 at 8, and “Grease 2” on June 18 at 8.
Enzian also collaborates on Popcorn Flicks in the Park with the City of Winter Park, held on the lawn of Central Park at 251 S. Park Ave.
The next Popcorn Flicks in the Park movie will be “Toy Story” on June 12 at 8 p.m., followed by “Muscle Beach Party” on July 10 at 8.
Movieola, the latest to join in on the outdoor cinematic fun, will be shown at Lake Eola Park’s East Lawn at 512 E. Washington St. in downtown Orlando.
The upcoming Movieola dates and features are:
• Friday, May 30 — “Thor – The Dark World.”
• Friday, June 27 — “Despicable Me 2.”
• Friday, July 25 — “Muppet’s Most Wanted.”
• Friday, Aug. 29 — “Lego Movie.”
Not surprisingly, when considering Florida’s notoriously unpredictable summer weather of fast-moving and heavy downpours, rain dates are typically available for all of these movies.
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