PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — It’s taken $4.4 million and two years, but the Atlantic Union Bank Pavilion is back open hosting its first event.
In the first of four movies, families showed up Saturday at the Portsmouth Pavilion to get in line to see a Disney classic on the big screen.
“I’m here with my grandson and my daughter to see Monsters, Inc.,” said Kecia Bell.
It’s part of a new series the city is holding called Halloween Movie Madness, and it’s the first event the venue has seen in two years.
“It’s great. Maybe by next summer, they can have concerts and everything,” said Bell.
Over the past couple of years, Atlantic Union Bank Pavilion has undergone 4.4 million dollars in repairs.
Right after that, the COVID-19 Pandemic pushed other events off.
“We’ve been waiting for a while because I think in the summer, Lionel Richie was supposed to come. But he never did, so we were kind of hoping they would get it fixed up and have something and this is great for the kids,” Bell continued.
It was not a crowd of 10,000, but the guests finally got to see the new mast and canopy they’ve been waiting to show off.
Bell and her family said because they’ve been strict about the masks and guidelines and they’re confident this will be a safe venture.
“I feel okay, I think they will do what they need to do. They’ll practice social distancing and we all have masks,” said Bell.
For more information on the screenings throughout the month click here to go to our living local page.