Moviegoers gather at Sugar Beach for 7th annual Sail-In Cinema

By Nitish Bissonauth

Grab your popcorn, and take your seats.

Torontonians got a unique to chance to watch their favourite movies on the sands of Sugar Beach or anchored in the waters of Lake Ontario at the seventh annual Sail-In Cinema, which launched Friday night.

A four-storey, double-sided inflatable screen, one of the biggest of its kind, was brought in for the three-day event.

Originally devised as a celebration of Ports Toronto’s centennial, the event has become a summer tradition for Toronto and an opportunity for people to explore Toronto’s harbour.

“It wasn’t always the case that you wanted to come to the waterfront,” said spokeswoman Deborah Wilson.

“The waterfront used to be kind of industrial, maybe not a place you wanted to visit. So, initially it was a bit of a pull to get people down here.”

Last year’s event drew a crowd of 10,000. Wilson said this year’s event is even more important, especially for the boating community, whose season has been cut short because of bad weather and high water levels.

“It’s something unlike anything else to boat in, drop an anchor and watch a movie,” said boater Cory Biel.

The free screening was supposed to launch with “Edward Scissorhands,” but active weather forced Ports Toronto to reschedule it for Sunday.

Organizers are hoping the weather cooperates for the remainder of the event, but said they generally only cancel if there’s a threat of lightning.

“We can deal with some rain,” Wilson said. “We’ve done it before and it adds to the experience.”

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