There’s a Casual Magic to Portland Parks & Recreation Outdoor Screenings

Lying on a picnic blanket at sunset and not caring that kids are running around while the movie’s playing is all about the spirit of community and summer.

Soul Disney Pixar's "Soul."
By Bennett Campbell Ferguson

If you’re a film buff with a fondness for outdoor cinema, you probably have some cherished memories of seeing movies in Portland parks.

Maybe you swooned as you watched Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck in Roman Holiday at Director Park; maybe you chuckled while sitting in Brooklyn Park as Tobey Maguire unleashed his sick Spider-Man 3 dance moves. In Portland, outdoor movies come in all shapes and sizes—a tradition that continues this summer with a slate of screenings from Portland Parks & Recreation.

While PAM CUT’s outdoor events offer a more cinephile-friendly experience, there’s a casual magic to PP&R’s screenings. There’s something soothing about lying on a picnic blanket at sunset and not caring that kids are running around while the movie’s playing. It’s all about the spirit of community—which is what moviegoing should be about anyway.

This year, the must-see movie is Pixar’s Soul, which was unceremoniously dumped on Disney+ in 2020. Lyrical, melancholy and moving, it’s a film that deserves to be seen in a beautiful arena—like Woodstock Park, where it will be shown Saturday, Sept. 3.

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