Named USA Today’s Best City Park of 2024, the Gathering Place in Tulsa, OK, isn’t just a park—it’s a hub of connection, creativity and community. Among its standout programs is Cox Movie Night, a film series blending family-friendly fun, interactive activities and a little Hollywood magic to bring Tulsans together. With five movie nights each year, this program has become a local favorite, consistently drawing 600-person crowds eager to enjoy films under the stars. Learn more about their standout program below.

Opportunity:
When the Gathering Place opened in 2018, its mission was clear: to create a welcoming, dynamic space for all Tulsans. They also wanted to make the most of the beautiful, new park – including the large Quik Trip Great Lawn – through compelling programming that engaged families.

Movie events proved to be a perfect fit, citing their ease of planning, broad appeal, low cost and wide opportunity for engaging pre-show activities for an event that’s accessible to Tulsa’s diverse community. The park’s team notes that there are other movie night programs in Tulsa, but the Gathering Place’s is special as it is the only family-friendly, free program.

“The exciting part about offering free movie nights is that it removes a barrier for many families,” shared Sydney Brown, marketing and communications manager for the Gathering Place. “On a typical movie night, the lawn displays the diversity and vibrancy of the Tulsa community. People of all ages, ethnicities, socioeconomic status and parts of the metro area are in attendance enjoying quality time with their loved ones while being surrounded by the beauty of nature.”

Approach:
From its inception, Cox Movie Night was crafted as a comprehensive event, not just a movie screening. Each night begins with a festival-like atmosphere, featuring activities like face painting, arts and crafts, and a DJ to entertain attendees of all ages and promote other park programming. “I believe these activities definitely drive attendance with families,” shared Ana Paula Paglione, Gathering Place’s special events manager. “The kids love face painting and if the little ones aren’t necessarily engaged with the movie, they scan still enjoy the event because the crafts table is open throughout the screening.”

In addition to those regular, low-lift activities, the park also looks for opportunities to theme pre-show entertainment to the film. For example, they hired professional medieval-style fighters to stage mock battles and training sessions before a screening of “Shrek.” Or, during a “Halloweentown” movie night, the events team contracted a live pumpkin carver that created a spooky design and engaged with guests as they worked on the pumpkin.

Most importantly, the team is consistent with their pre-screening activities. “That would be my advice to someone trying to do similar programming,” Ana Paula shared. “I think our popularity is due to the fact that we are a legacy event. So, people come expecting two or three activities that are consistent every movie night.”

The event series showcases a mix of classic films and new releases, building anticipation by announcing the entire schedule early in the year. And because it’s such a legacy event, the series always attracts high levels of engagement on social media. “Every year, people are so excited to know what movies are playing,” shared Sydney. “That’s usually our top-performing post, getting close to – if not over – 1,000 likes on Instagram and tons of shares on Facebook.”

Results:
Cox Movie Night has cemented its place as a signature event at the Gathering Place. In 2024, the program attracted an estimated 2,163 attendees across five nights, with family-friendly favorites like “Shrek” drawing more than 800 people.

Beyond the numbers, the program’s thoughtful pre-show activities and consistency foster community connections and create a Tulsa tradition. “It’s a legacy event,” said Sydney Brown, Marketing Manager. “Families look forward to it each year.”

Most importantly, the events help further Gathering Place’s mission. “If you’re at the park and there to enjoy the playground with your kids or grab a bite to eat out in nature on a nice day, and all of a sudden you hear a DJ playing music, that gets people attention," said Gathering Place’s VP of Park Operations and Events Dylan Fitzpatrick. “Or they see the activities happening and wonder what’s going on. And so that just helps build that event and learn more about the different programs that we offer to make it more of a tradition.”

As the Gathering Place looks to the future, the team plans to continue building on this success by exploring partnerships and technology upgrades to enhance the experience further.

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