‘E.T the Extra-Terrestrial’: St. Pete’s Movies in the Park

I’m always on the lookout for low-cost, date night ideas, and this one by far is a new (new-to-me, anyway) favorite. My boyfriend and I went to Preserve the ‘Burg’s Movies in the Park screening of E.T the Extra-Terrestrial at North Straub Park.

Preserve the ‘Burg hosts two movies free for all to join in October. First, they showed E.T the Extra-Terrestrial, and next they’ll show the 1991 film of The Addams Family.

I asked my boyfriend to go on a movie date to see E.T. To my surprise, he said, “I’ve never seen it before.”

Now, I knew we really had to go on this date.

Prep for Date Night

Preserve the ‘Burg suggests guests to arrive around 5:30 p.m. to snag the best spot to watch the movie. Live music from Fil Pate entertained everyone as the sun set in St. Pete. Food vendors and organizations set up booths in the back of the seating area.

You can buy drinks and food and a portion of the proceeds go towards Preserve the ‘Burg and Jump for Kids.

Since this was our first time at Movies in the Park, we brought our own food. Pizza was the most delicious idea of the night.

We showed up around 6:30 p.m. and open spots filled up quickly. Everyone either laid out a blanket or propped up foldable chairs all facing the big blow-up movie screen.

We brought a blanket large enough for us to lie down if we wanted and two pillows to prop up our heads. I’m not going to say I stayed in that position the whole movie because that would be a lie. Be prepared to constantly re-position yourself if you’re behind people in chairs.

E.T., Phone Home

The event details said the movie would start at dusk, which was around 7 p.m.

I know it’s not too different from going to the movie theaters, but it was a wholesome experience to me. We laughed, some of us maybe cried, but most importantly, we all sat together in a park watching a suburban family help a lost alien find his way home.

Movies in the Park

I had a great time watching the sunset, eating pizza, and watching a Steven Spielberg classic with my boyfriend.

On Oct. 26, Movies in the Park presents The Addams Family which I plan on going with my friends for a silly little girls night. I highly recommend taking advantage of such a fun and inexpensive experience in the heart of St. Pete.

The Addams Family North Straub Park, 400 Bayshore Dr. NE, St. Petersburg. Oct. 26: 5:30 p.m.; film at dusk. preservetheburg.org

Looking for more things to do in St. Pete and Gulfport? Check out The Gabber Newspaper’s full calendar of events.