Serving up ace alfresco entertainment
RTW Together BID brought back the big screen for Wimbledon Finals weekend in Calverley Grounds, and also took things up a level by launching Tunbridge Wells’ inaugural Filmzone. Sarah Raine reflects on a successful summer of fantastic entertainment…
RTW Together BID launched their inaugural Filmzone in Calverley Grounds on Friday 11 July in association with Trinity Theatre. Around a thousand people enjoyed watching three great films across the day on the huge 5m x 3m screen. The morning viewing was dedicated to toddlers and pre-schoolers, with family favourite, Shaun the Sheep Farmageddon! The post-school crowd were entertained by the Far Far Away adventures of Shrek 2, and the park came alive as the sun went down with the legendary crowd pleaser, Mamma Mia!
Jo, one of the members of the audience at Mamma Mia, commented: “This is why Tunbridge Wells is such a great place to live! A beautiful summer’s evening in a stunning park, a cold glass in hand, a deckchair to lounge on, and the opening bars of Mamma Mia playing out against a picture perfect sunset, we are so lucky to have all this here.”
Calverley Grounds Café and The Manor House Pop Up Bar provided much needed snacks, ice creams and drinks for the crowds, with the new pop up event pods being rented by groups of friends and families to have an exclusive area to hang out. The ever popular deck chairs and rugs were back by popular demand, and provided great flexible seating to sit back and soak up the films.
Alex Green, CEO of RTW Together BID said: “The launch of Filmzone in association with Trinity Theatre, was a fantastic first year of outdoor cinema in Calverley Grounds and we are looking forward to bringing more films to the town centre next summer. We know that things are tight for a lot of people so we kept the ticket price low, so that as many people as possible could enjoy a film. With the hill serving as a natural Amphitheatre, the sound quality was perfect, the vibe was relaxed and people just chilled out and enjoyed the atmosphere.”
Then, from 11am on Saturday 12 July until the final serve was made in the early evening of Sunday 13 July, thousands crowded into Calverley Grounds to enjoy Fanzone 2025, and all the excitement of the Wimbledon Finals Weekend on the big screen. Forget Murray’s Mount or Henman Hill, Tunbridge Wells has The Royal Ridge, which proved incredibly popular for shade under the big trees as temperatures soared into the high 20’s. The BID also provide four air mist fans across the site, which were a popular and welcome spot to cool down.
This year also saw Taste Wells bring their catering event trailer out for the first time, which did a constant trade in strawberries and cream, to accompany Pimm’s alongside other drinks, from the Manor House Pop Up Bar. Local charities; Demelza, Life and Soul, Age UK, The Counselling Centre, Hospice in the Weald and Tunbridge Wells Climate & Nature, hosted stands with free garden games, along with professional face-painters creating works of art, for children and adults alike to enjoy.
Alex Green added: “There really is nothing lovelier than seeing people of all ages coming together to watch something as quintessentially British as Wimbledon Finals. It was also fantastic to see so many of our hospitality and retail BID members receiving trade as a result, I think Sainsbury’s Local had to restock their ice and ice creams a number of times throughout the weekend! I lost count of the Deliveroo drivers checking in with our event tent at the entrance, and the café in the park stayed open late to meet demand.
“I would like to extend my thanks to the security teams, Trinity Theatre Box Office, TWBC, the BID team and all the charities and our brilliant food and beverage suppliers, for their hard work and support, which all helped make both Filmzone and Fanzone such successful events. Here’s to 2026!”
