Free outdoor movies are coming back to Sonoma Plaza, with the city and a local nonprofit theater group teaming up to set up a lawn screen behind City Hall for a run of family-friendly film nights this fall. The series kicks off on August 28 with a screening of The Incredibles at about 7 PM, and organizers are inviting residents and visitors alike to spread out blankets and lawn chairs on the grass for the free show.
The revived series is a partnership between the City of Sonoma and the Sebastiani Theatre Foundation, according to The Press Democrat. The outdoor theater setup will sit on the lawn behind City Hall on the north side of the Plaza along Spain Street, and the foundation will hand out free popcorn while supplies last, with additional concessions available for purchase. Admission to every screening is free, per the same report.
A Fall Lineup With a Double Feature Finale
After opening night, the series continues on September 18 with Back to the Future at 7 PM. The season wraps up on October 16 with a double feature: Coco screens at 6 PM, followed by Ghostbusters: Afterlife at about 8 PM, the article notes. Families are encouraged to grab dinner from Sonoma Plaza restaurants before settling in for the show, extending the evening's economic reach to the businesses that ring the square.
The event comes amid a leadership shift at the theater foundation. Tony Ginesi stepped in as Executive Director in early 2026 after longtime leader Roger Rhoten shifted his focus to capital campaign fundraising, according to KZST. Ginesi had previously served as the venue's general manager since 2017. The nonprofit foundation, which operates under 501(c)(3) status, originally formed in 2008 and fully took over the historic theater's operations in December 2016 to install digital projection equipment and expand youth programming, according to the theater's own disclosures.
A Historic Backdrop for the Screen
The Sebastiani Theatre itself dates back to 1933, built by wine pioneer Samuele Sebastiani and designed by architect James W. Reid. It screened its first film, Fugitive Lovers, on April 7, 1934, when admission cost 30 cents, according to the theater's own archives. The building sits on the east side of Sonoma Plaza, a short walk from where the temporary outdoor screen will go up each movie night.
Sonoma Plaza itself is steeped in history. General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo laid out the eight-acre square in 1835 as a military parade ground, and it was dedicated a National Historic Landmark in September 1961, making it California's largest historic town square, according to the City of Sonoma. City Hall, which sits directly behind the movie lawn, was built in 1908 from local basalt stone with four identical facades — a design choice reportedly meant so that merchants on any side of the Plaza could claim the building faced their business.
The Plaza also holds a quirkier distinction: it is the only public park in California where open alcohol consumption is legally permitted, according to Visit Novato. Local ordinances allow drinking on the grounds daily between 11:30 AM and sunset, a window that closes right around when the evening movies are scheduled to start.
Part of a Broader Civic Partnership
The film series follows other recent collaborations between the city and the theater foundation. In July, the two partnered to install SQUARE KEYS, a public piano installation near the Plaza's duck pond as part of the city's Public Art Program, an initiative conceived by the foundation's community engagement director, Tanner Walle, according to a municipal announcement. The city has also invested in the Plaza's infrastructure more broadly — in May 2025, BKF Engineers was contracted to perform a topographic survey and 3D laser scan of the Plaza and City Hall to inform a long-term master plan addressing drainage and walkway issues.
Outdoor movie nights are not unique to Sonoma this season. Groups like the Alexander Valley Film Society have hosted open-air and drive-in screenings across Northern Sonoma County, including at the Cloverdale Municipal Airport and local winery grounds, reflecting a wider regional appetite for community cinema under the stars.
The return of family programming to the Plaza also comes after a rockier stretch for public gatherings there. Hoodline previously reported on a violent altercation during the opening night of the seasonal Tuesday Night Market in May, which sent two people to the hospital and led to an arrest. Sonoma Plaza is located at 453 First St. E., and organizers are betting that a laid-back, family-oriented movie series can bring a calmer kind of crowd back to the grass behind City Hall.
