2006 Comcast Outdoor Film Festival!

Yay! The Comcast Outdoor Film Festival, North Bethesda, MD is such an awesome annual event. Not only do viewers get to enjoy 10 days in a row of great movies for adults and children alike but it's free! That's right! You get to sit outside under the warm night sky and watch a great movie with hundreds of your closest friends! Let me explain a bit more of how the film festival program works.

The grounds are open to the public but nothing is available to eat or drink until 6:30. Local restaurants and patrons provide all kinds of goodies from hot dogs, pizzas, cotton candy and ice cream! And the local restaurants include names like Baja Fresh and Hard Times Cafe! How awesome is that? Great movies and quality food! I know what you're thinking - but it's supposed to be free! Well, you'll be happy to know that part of the proceeds are going towards a great cause. Comcast has teamed up with a number of different charities and are donating a portion of the proceeds to the NIH Children's Charities - Children's Inn, Camp Fantastic/Special Love, and Friends of the Clinical Center. If that won't make you buy more popcorn, I don't know what will.

The movie itself starts at 8:30 and that time stays the same for each day the film festival is showing a movie. There are a few things to keep in mind when planning on coming to a showing. Try to be there early! I would suggest being there within an hour but no later than a half hour before the movie. Parking has become a bit of a problem. The past few years the public was allowed to park at the metro right next to Strathmore Hall (the location of the film festival) and is right off of Rockville Pike. However, last year, the only way you could park in there was to buy a metro pass. Although that is an option, it might be better to park on the side street of the neighborhood within walking distance of the metro. This way, you won't have to pay a dime and will get five extra minutes of exercise walking to the field where the movie will be shown.

Also, because the Comcast Film Festival, North Bethesda, MD is held on a grassy field, make sure to bring a blanket or better yet, a low slung chair to watch the movie in. Make sure to get something portable so you won't feel the pains of lugging a huge chair back and forth from your car to the field. Also, a comfortable blanket and chair would be key since you will more than likely be watching a movie that's two hours long or more.

Anothoer note - I didn't notice a huge mosquito of fly problem but I would still suggest wearing an insect repellent just to be on the safe side. Because of all the food and drinks available, there may be a chance of getting bit and no one wants that!

Other than that, this film festival is great because it's free and they show great movies! Another plus is that they do show kids movies so it's great to take your whole family! The movies usually range from kids animation to classics to movies that are a bit more on the adult side. Make sure to check out the listing of what they are showing so you know when to take your kids before exposing them to a movie that may be a bit too adult for their taste. This year, there are a number of great films I'm sure you'd be excited to see, such as, Maltese Falcon, Madagascar, King Kong, Walk the Line and my ultimate favorite, Batman Begins. I can't wait to watch The Dark Knight on the big screen once again!

The complete 10-day movie listing can be found on the following website: www.filmfestnih.org. Included on this site is a phone number if you have any further questions, however, the website should be able to answer any questions that you may have.

Make sure to take advantage of this film festival as it's only over the course of 10 days and it's only one time a year! Don't miss it! See you out there!