STRATFORD -- The city of Stratford is finding new ways to bring in tourists and keep people entertained this summer after their iconic festival closed its curtain for the season.
One of the new ideas is a pop-up drive-in movie theatre created out of old shipping containers.
“It’s funny that it took a pandemic to bring back drive-in theatres,” said Craig Thompson, who runs Movies Under the Stars.
The makeshift drive-in will be running six nights a week until the end of August.
“Stratford needs you,” said Thompson. “It’s a great thing to offer.”
Another idea involves putting a live band on a boat to play on the Avon River every weekend.
“If the boat’s slow enough people could still listen to it for a while or they can follow along,” said Mark Fewer, and artist and director of Stratford Summer Music.
He says the free concert gives people a reason to get out and support the 30 local artists taking part.
“They are going through a time that we want to employ them and give them a paycheck,” said Fewer.
The Musical Barge will play Friday, Saturday, and Sunday on the river for the next four weeks.
The city has also allowed restaurants to extend their patios and have opened Market Square for what they call Al Fresco dining.
“We are seeing visitors again,” said Joani Gerber, CEO of Invest Stratford. “There is traffic, there are people, and we are really excited about that.”
