How Movie Events Safely Filled a Florida Wharf’s Calendar during Covid-19

At Sparkman Wharf – a vibrant area of Tampa Bay’s downtown waterfront – there’s always something to do. Featuring a dining garden, shopping, a biergarten and a recreational lawn, residents of this beach town are never without sunshine, waterfront views, dining and assorted entertainment. But when COVID-19 hit last year, the wharf’s event organizers had to figure out which of their typical events could still safely be held during a pandemic. One event they didn’t have to worry about, however, were movie events.

“Continuing to program movie on the lawn events during the pandemic has been important to our organization to effectively execute safe events,” shared Carly Ciccati, coordinator for Sparkman’s Wharf. “These events allow us to properly social distance to ensure our guests feel safe while on our property.”

The waterfront has hosted their “Movies on the Lawn at Sparkman Wharf,” for years as part of their regular monthly programmed events. “These events have become very popular for our guests,” said Ciccati. “Each month we try to coordinate the movie with a theme to help keep our audience engaged.” For instance, the wharf recently hosted a Galentine’s Day event featuring “She’s the Man” and “10 Things I Hate about You.” They promoted the event by encouraging gal pals to celebrate the February 13 holiday by enjoying movies, dinner and drinks at the wharf – cross-promoting their restaurant and retail spaces.

In addition to connecting their screenings to a theme or upcoming holiday, they also typically spotlight throwback movies that are popular for a variety of ages and audiences. Some of their most recent movie events were for showings of “The Mighty Ducks,” “Grease,” “Overboard” and “Clueless.”

To ensure guests are always safe, the organizer’s implemented a number of safety precautions. “On-site our property we have spaced our furniture six-feet apart to accommodate social distancing, and masks are required to be worn unless a guest is actively eating or drinking,” shared Ciccati. They also set up sanitation stations throughout the property and enforce a limitation capacity. And while they used to offer sanitized blankets for guests to use during the film, the wharf has discontinued this feature to further guarantee the safety of everyone in attendance.  “It is always our top priority to ensure guests feel safe on our property and during our events.”

Along with their consistent outdoor movies on the lawn series, the property also hosted three nostalgic drive-in movie events over the summer. “This was a unique experience for guests because we are centrally located downtown,” Ciccati shared. For these events, the organizer’s limited the number cars so they could ensure appropriate social distancing protocols, and pre-registration was required to attend the event. “Guests really enjoyed being able to leave their homes and feel safe while experiencing a classic film outdoors!”

To promote all of their events, the wharf utilizes bright, well-designed social media images that they share as Instagram posts, Instagram stories, Facebook posts and as standalone Facebook events. A dedicated “Happenings” highlight on their Instagram account helps showcase the variety of events guests can expect at the wharf. To draw an even larger crowd, they sometimes include a “surprise and delight moment” for the first 50-100 guests that arrive at the movie event. For instance, the first 50 attendees at their “Halloweentown” showing received free popcorn. 

If you’re still hesitant or unsure about bringing movie events back to your community, Ciccati had this to share: “Movies are a great way to still activate and bring the community together while following all COVID-19 protocols. These family-friendly events can be done contactless and safe to ensure that your guests feel comfortable during their experience. Movies on the lawn at Sparkman Wharf are extremely popular events that we will continue to safely implement throughout 2021!”

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