When the City of Edmonton started offering free screenings of movies in Churchill Square, I knew this would be the closest I would get to a drive-in for a while. I was waiting for a for a film I either actually wanted to see, or one I deemed was worth watching again. When High School Musical was announced for the August 2 show, I knew this was it.

I’ve seen the film several times since being dazzled by it last year, but the idea of watching it on the big screen, under the stars and in the shadow of buildings in the downtown core, was irresistible.

The set-up

Armed with camping chairs, a blanket, a bag of goodies and mugs of tea, we joined a modest crowd of fifty people already huddled around the front of the screen. It had drizzled a bit as we were heading to the Square, but thankfully we had no use for the umbrellas we had brought along just in case. While most of the audience was comprised of families, there were a few pairs of adults and couples our age.

Mack

Me

A Fat Franks food cart was on site, which may not have been a bad thing on that chilly evening. I was glad I had brought along a mug of tea and a blanket; without them, I would have froze in the windy conditions. The people in front of us who wore winter jackets definitely had foresight.

In all, it was a pretty cool experience, even if the audience didn’t get up to dance in tune with the movie (like that scene in The Wedding Planner). If you missed it, you have three more opportunities this summer, with screenings being held on August 29-31, movie titles TBA.