Scaring up business

What’s better than a movie and a glass of wine?

Watching a movie with a glass of wine in a vineyard surrounded by beautiful fall colours. Outdoor cinema is rising in popularity as people look for a fun experience in the fresh air.

Grizzly Winery in West Kelowna has been hosting movie nights for the past four years.

“So what we do is we’ve got about 100 or so lounge-style chairs and we kind of face it all towards the back of our production bay. We do about a 30-foot or more screen, full outdoor speakers. We do mulled wine to keep you nice and warm, we welcome you to bring blankets,” explained Amber Piran, events and sales coordinator.

She says guests can also order hot appetizers directly from the winery’s restaurant, 31 Charkay and there is a full outdoor bar and concession stand.

“It’s really just a great way to be able to unite the community,” adds Piran. “What we want to do is give you a great space. We want to give you very family-oriented activities to get out.”

Priest Creek Family Estate Winery in Southeast Kelowna is in its third year of inviting people to get cosy in their backyard and watch a film with family and friends.

“When we designed this winery, in particular, we wanted it to be a place for families to come and stay.

“We didn’t want you to come and feel like you had to be rushed out and leave. So, we wanted to foster different things, different ideas to bring the community up to us, to have a place where moms and dads could sit and enjoy with them, you know, get kids out into the country a little bit as well,” said owner Jane Sawin.

Piran and Sawin say tickets almost always sell out for movie nights. At this time of year, the focus shifts to Halloween classics.

Priest Creek will be showing The Nightmare Before Christmas and Hotel Transylvania this Friday and Saturday, while Grizzly will be featuring The Haunted Mansion and The Addams Family.

Over at Summerhill Pyramid Winery, the next two Cinema Under the Shadows will be on Oct. 24 and on Halloween. It will be a double bill of Harry Potter and A Quiet Place on Oct. 24 and The Addams Family and The Shining on Oct. 31.