New outdoor event to draw thousands to downtown for unique summer experience
RALEIGH, NC (April 28, 2014) – The Downtown Raleigh Alliance (DRA) is proud to announce its new summer outdoor event, the PNC Downtown Raleigh Movie Series. For six Fridays (May 23, May 30, June 6, June 13, June 20, June 27) this summer from 5 pm-10:30 pm, City Plaza will transform into “The living room of Raleigh” featuring films made in North Carolina on an outdoor screen, local food trucks, microbrew beer tent, and live music, expecting to draw over 6,000 to downtown Raleigh. The events are free admission and open to the public.
Offering a unique summer experience, downtowners will enjoy beloved classics and contemporary movie favorites on a large outdoor movie screen at City Plaza. To elevate the social experience, the PNC Downtown Raleigh Movie Series will provide pre-movie entertainment including live bands from the local music scene. During the show, patrons can dine on local food truck fare and sip on microbrews. This year’s made-in-North Carolina theme encompasses the event’s purpose of connecting the local community and supporting local businesses.
PNC Bank has signed on as the title sponsor to support downtown Raleigh’s economic development.
“Downtown Raleigh is booming, and this new movie series will not only serve the burgeoning downtown residential and professional community, but also support local merchants and retailers,” said Rebecca Quinn-Wolf , director of Client & Community Relations for PNC and DRA board member. “We are delighted to support our downtown Raleigh community through our sponsorship of this new and exciting event.”
The first event will kick off Friday, May 23 featuring the iconic romance film Dirty Dancing and pre-entertainment from award-winning rock group, Nick Driver Band.
The movie line-up is as follows: May 23: Bull Durham, May 30: Talladega Nights, June 6: Dirty Dancing, June 13: Hunger Games, and June 20: Iron Man 3. The PNC Downtown Raleigh Movie Series will culminate with a special event on June 27 highlighting a collaboration with Full Frame, a Durham-based non-profit which promotes the art form of documentary film. The event will include a free screening of one of the films from this year's Full Frame Documentary Film Festival.
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About PNC Downtown Raleigh Movie Series:
Produced by the Downtown Raleigh Alliance, the PNC Downtown Raleigh Movie Series will transform City Plaza into “the living room of Raleigh” with a series of movies under the stars and downtown’s growing skyline. For six Fridays this summer, the movie series is expected to attract over 6,000 attendees to City Plaza. This year, the movie series will feature films made in North Carolina. Prior to each movie, the event will host a variety of local food trucks, downtown restaurant offerings, and regional microbrew beer options.
About Downtown Raleigh Alliance (DRA)
DRA is an award-winning nonprofit organization whose mission is to continue the revitalization of Raleigh’s downtown. The Alliance enhances the quality of life and positively impacts the economic success of downtown through five services: 1. Safety, Hospitality & Clean Ambassadors; 2. Strategic Branding & Community Communications; 3. Special Events Production & City Plaza Programming; 4. Retail Attraction & Merchant Promotions; and 5. Strategic Partnerships & Stakeholder Engagement. For more information about DRA, please visit www.youRhere.com.