Oakland, California: Free Outdoor Movies Playing in Downtown Oakland

Oakland’s Old Oakland Outdoor Cinema brought free outdoor movies to Washington Street between 9th and 10th Streets in the city’s historic downtown district. The “theater” was half a block of pavement accommodating 150 chairs; moviegoers were also welcome to watch from outdoor seating at the surrounding restaurants. Raiders of the Lost Ark opened the series; subsequent screenings included Field of Dreams, Tootsie, and Singin’ in the Rain. Parking was free at 8th and Washington.

“Dining is always a terrific entertainment activity and going out and seeing outdoor movies has become a very big deal,” said Jim McIlvaine, the city’s special events coordinator. Live music started at 5 p.m.; short films began at 8, followed by the feature. MOCHA (the Museum of Children’s Art) at 583 9th St. hosted a drop-in studio during screenings for kids and families.

The series was produced by Joel Bachar of Microcinema International in San Francisco. Bachar noted that outdoor cinema had been flourishing in Seattle since the 1990s and was spreading to other U.S. cities and across Europe. Other Bay Area outdoor movie venues included the Pyramid Brewery in Berkeley, Santana Row and Gypsy Cinema in San Jose, and the Oakland Museum’s Film al Fresco series.