Movie in the Park 2026: Retrospective

Every year during the summer months, Friends of the Sumas Library (FOSL) hosts a free community movie night. We set up in the city park a few hours before sunset, sell concessions and hang out for a few hours, and then start the movie when it gets dark enough.

Throwing this event is one of the highlights of the year, and is definitely our largest FOSL event. But it is also a TON of work! In this post I am going to provide a retrospective about the finances to host a free community movie night in a small city.

Revenue

Concessions: $368

During our event, we sold:

• 58 cotton candy: $174
• 36 nachos: $108
• 43 popcorn: $43
  • NOTE: this is while also giving away free popcorn to anyone who made a monster mask!
• 24 water: $24
• 19 soda: $19

FOSL Merch: $17

• 1 FOSL shirt: $15
• 2 FOSL stickers: $2

That comes out to 92 sales made for a total of $385! Of that money, $124 were digital/card payments, with $261 in cash.

One thing to note is that this year we made the decision to lower the cost of concessions and FOSL merch. Cotton candy was reduced from $5 to $3, shirts were lowered from $25 to $15, and stickers were lowered from $3 to $1. FOSL merchandise is available at the normal price any time through Sumas Drug, but can be purchased at a reduced cost at our own events. In a time when everything is getting more expensive, we felt it was important to prioritize keeping our concessions affordable.

Cost

Before anything, I want to make clear that we run on volunteer power, and that is hard to put a value on. So while we will discuss the money paid, it is only part of the “cost” to run an event like this.

Machines & Equipment: $0

The following items were already owned by FOSL and did not cost us anything to use at the event. Most were paid for with grant money years before I joined FOSL. However, this is easily $1,000+ worth of equipment.

• projector
• inflatable projector screen
• Blu-ray player
• sound system
• popcorn machine
• warming pots
• cotton candy machine

Licenses & Permits: $586

In order to play a movie for the public, even for a free event, a license must be purchased to show that movie. That fee doesn’t even include a copy of the movie! We also had to get a permit through the department of health in order to serve nachos.

• movie license for <200 people: $525
• Blu-ray copy of Monster’s, Inc.: $25
• food permit: $36

Concessions: $130

Before and during the movie, FOSL sells low-priced concessions. This is partially to enhance the evening with edible goodies, but also to help fund the event.

• Cotton candy:
  • sugar: $5
  • flavor: $0 (purchased last year)
  • paper cones: $42
• Nachos:
  • chips: $10
  • cheese: $32
  • toppings from La Gloria: $18
• Popcorn:
  • kernels : $10
• Drinks:
  • soda: $0 (donated from WCLS, leftover from Whatcom Grooves Sumas)
  • water: $0 (donated from WCLS, leftover from Whatcom Grooves Sumas)
• Ice: $13

Other: $25

• Movie gift basked (stuffed animal, comic, basket): $20
• PayPal fees: $5

Profit

Our total costs were $741 across all categories, while our total revenue was $385. That means our overall profit would have been -$356, which is not great.

Luckily, the Everson Lions Club stepped up and covered the licensing fee for the movie! Additionally, several community members donated some of the needed supplies. In the end, the final financial breakdown for this event was the following:

• Cost: $741
• Revenue: $385
• Donated: $576

So while the event itself is in the hole $356, FOSL itself ended up making $220. We need what we do to be sustainable, so we are always looking for partners and sponsors to help us with this.

If interested in supporting us, or if you simply have questions about this event, you can reach out to me directly at info@friendsofthesumaslibrary.org