On June 26 we set up a projector under the Covered Patio, put on The Lego Movie, turned on the popcorn machine, and waited to see if anyone would come. They came. Twelve Fridays later, on September 18, we closed the season with an Audience Choice Encore, the patio full, kids in pyjamas on blankets, and a lot of parents asking whether we would do it again.
We will. Family Night Fridays are coming back in spring and summer 2027. Here is what the first season was, what we learned, and what to expect next year.
What it was
Every Friday at 6:30 pm, from late June through mid-September, we showed a family-friendly movie on the Covered Patio at the winery. It was free. No ticket, no admission, no minimum purchase. The popcorn was free too, made fresh on site. The kids play area was open before the movie, the ice cream trailer was staffed, and the kitchen and bar stayed open for the grown-ups. Families brought blankets for the lawn or took our chairs.
We started it for a simple reason. Prince Edward County is a wonderful place to raise kids and visit with kids, but if you have them, your Friday night options are thin. Most restaurants want quiet adults. Most wineries want quiet adults. The few family-friendly things close at dinner time. We had the space, the projector, and a covered patio, so we did it.
What we showed
We programmed the summer to grow with the kids in the room. The Lego Movie and PAW Patrol in June and early July for the smallest moviegoers. Rio on a tropical slushie night. Wonka mid-summer. The Goonies, which brought out the parents. A Minecraft Movie on the August long weekend for the gaming crowd. Scooby-Doo, Night at the Museum, and The Sandlot as summer wound down. Diary of a Wimpy Kid and School of Rock to ease the back-to-school sting, and Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, two and a half hours long, during which nobody left. Then the encore, voted on at the bar and on Instagram all summer.
Every film was G or PG, officially licensed for public showing, and if a parent asked whether a specific movie suited a specific kid, whoever was behind the bar gave an honest answer.
The kids combo
Somewhere around the third week, we noticed parents ordering the same four things every Friday. So we made it one order: the kids combo, with a slushy deluxe, popcorn, a hot dog, and a cookie. The slushy is the non-alcoholic peach one, the hot dog is our plain all-beef dog, and the cookie is house baked. It became the movie-night default, and it is staying on the menu.
The grown-ups, meanwhile, had the run of the patio menu: kimchi dogs, adobo pork tacos, the kofta sandwich, street corn nachos, whipped feta, a $10 flight or a wine slushy, and a table with a view of the play area.
What we learned
The thing we did not expect was how many families came from the beach. Sandbanks or North Beach in the morning, lunch on our patio, an hour in the play area, ice cream, and then the movie at 6:30. A full Friday in the County for a family of four for somewhere around $40 to $60, including the food. That became the plan for a lot of regulars, and it is the plan we will recommend again next year.
We also learned that weather is the only thing that cancels a movie night. We had a couple of thunderstorm calls, posted by 5 pm on Instagram, and the most committed families moved into the Cellar Tasting Room and watched anyway.
And we learned that a winery full of kids on a Friday night does not stop being a winery. Parents tasted more, not less. Several found a wine they now buy at the LCBO. The bottle shop was busier on Fridays than any other weeknight. It turns out that when you make it easy for families to come, they come, and they stay.
Spring and summer 2027
We are planning the second season now. Expect the same shape: Friday evenings, free, free popcorn, kids play area, ice cream trailer, the kids combo, and the patio menu for the adults. We may tweak the start time, the lineup, and a few details as we go, and we will post the schedule on the Family Movie Nights page and on Instagram at @traynorvineyard when it is set.
If you came this summer, thank you. It was a fantastic season, and you are the reason there will be a second one. If you did not, you have until spring to find a good blanket.
In the meantime
The patio does not close when the projector does. Kids are welcome every day, the play area and ice cream trailer run through the end of October, we keep card and board games inside for the colder months, the kids combo is on, and leashed dogs are welcome on all the outdoor patios. We are at 1774 Danforth Road in Hillier, open daily from 11, with the fall menu on and the vines turning gold behind the patios.
Good to know before you visit
Where: Traynor Family Vineyard, 1774 Danforth Road, Hillier, Prince Edward County, Ontario K0K 2J0. Five minutes from Wellington, 15 from North Beach, 25 from Sandbanks, about 2.5 hours from Toronto. Free on-site parking.
Hours and booking: Open daily from 11 am until November 15, with Friday and Saturday hours until 7 pm. From November 16, open Friday and Saturday from 11 am to 7 pm and Sunday from 11 am to 6 pm. Current hours are always shown at the top of traynorvineyard.com. Walk-ins welcome for groups of five or fewer; reservations recommended for six or more and required for ten or more. Call 1-877-403-4224 or email retail@traynorvineyard.com.
Food: Street food made fresh daily: gourmet all-beef hot dogs (kimchi dog, pocket dog), adobo pork and pulled chicken tacos, kofta sandwich, red lentil dal, roasted beet salad, street corn nachos, whipped feta, house-baked cookies, plus a kids’ plain hot dog. Four vegan and four vegetarian dishes on the fall menu, and every wine is vegan.
Drinks: $10 wine flights (three pours), $11 wine by the glass, $10 wine slushy, vermouth cocktails, $7 non-alcoholic peach slushy for kids and drivers. Bookable experiences include the Cellarmasters Barrel Tasting ($49.95) and Stemware Sensation ($39.95).
Family-friendly: Kids welcome. Designated play area visible from the Vineyard Patio, on-site ice cream trailer, juice slushies, kids’ menu, strollers welcome, all patios wheelchair accessible. Kids combo (slushy, popcorn, hot dog, cookie) at the counter. Free Friday Family Movie Nights run in spring and summer.
Dog-friendly: Leashed dogs welcome on all five outdoor patios, with pet beds provided. Dogs can’t come inside the Cellar Tasting Room.
What’s on by season: Summer: Friday Family Movie Nights, DJ sets on the Vineyard Patio, Happy Hour Après Beach Sunday to Thursday 4 to 6 pm. Fall: the WineLab Holiday Series (PSL pumpkin spice wine, Spiced Apple, Mulled Wine, Mulled White) launches; Family Movie Nights return in spring and summer 2027. Winter: mulled wines and Caribou, Cellar Tasting Room heated.
The wine: Small-batch natural wine, wild fermented and vegan, family owned since 2008. Estate vines in Hillier farmed without synthetic pesticides since 2018, plus fruit from partner growers in Prince Edward County and Niagara-on-the-Lake. Pet-nat, piquette, skin-contact whites, vermouth, and fortified wines. Ten wines are listed at the LCBO.
