Movies in the Park: Coco

Movies in the Park brings Pixar's Coco to Dove Springs District Park on Thursday, October 29, as part of the Austin Parks Foundation series. It's a free outdoor screening, and since it falls just a couple of days before Halloween, the whole evening is built around the holiday. The park is at 5801 Ainez Dr in South Austin.

Things get going early: the event runs from 5 PM to 9 PM, and the movie doesn't start until around 7 PM. That gap is when the costume contest happens. It's a family-friendly one, and the winner is decided by an audience vote, so if you're bringing the kids in costume, you'll want to be there well before the film rolls. There's also free popcorn from Cornucopia and popsicles from Goodpop while supplies last, which are the kinds of things that go fast at these screenings, so getting there early pays off in more than just the contest.

Coco is the 2017 Pixar film, rated PG and running 1 hour and 45 minutes. It's a natural fit for the date, centered on the Day of the Dead and the bonds between generations. The whole setup is designed for families to bring blankets and snacks and hang out in the park together.

Movies in the Park is an Austin Parks Foundation series presented in partnership with Rocket Cinema, which has been bringing movie nights to neighborhood parks across the city for more than a decade. This one is free, runs from 5 PM to 9 PM on October 29 at Dove Springs District Park, with the film starting around 7 PM.