Parx Gets Awesome for '80s Festival

If you ever wished you could drive a DeLorean, know that you should never cross the streams, or think that Ducky got the shaft, then this summer's 1980s bonanza known as the Awesome Fest is right up your alley.

The season-long celebration of everything '80s starts this weekend, June 14 with a concert by the Psychadelic Furs at the Trocodero, and ends August 17 with a special screening of cult horror classic Killer Klowns from Outer Space at Parx Casino, featuring an appearance by the film's directors.

"I started doing a festival in 2010 of smaller, independent and underground movies," said Josh Goldbloom, festival creator and director. "This year, I just had to get all of this out of my system. I am a total child of the '80s."

Sections of Philadelphia will be inundated with outdoor screenings of classic films and special appearances by the people that helped make them, with screenings scheduled at Liberty Lands Park, Drexel Park, Eakins Oval near the Ben Frankin Bridge and the Ritz theaters.

As one of the co-sponsors of the Awesome Fest, Parx Casino is the only venue outside the city that will play host to several of the major events, including an '80s prom night at the 360 Lounge on June 15, following the 8 p.m. screening of Pretty in Pink.

"It was important to me to take it outside the city," said Goldbloom. "We looked at venues all over that were willing to hold these events for free. We will not more forward with a place if we can't do it for free."

The other events at Parx include the following film screenings:

• June 22, 9 p.m.: Child's Play/Fright Night with a special appearance by Director Tom Holland
• June 29, 7:30 p.m.: Who Framed Roger Rabbit with an appearance by Charles Fleischer, the voice of Roger Rabbit
• July 6, 8 p.m.: Top Gun
• July 13, 9 p.m.: Labyrinth/Purple Rain
• July 20, 9 p.m.: Ghostbusters
• July 27, 9 p.m.: Back to the Future
• August 3, 8 p.m.: Rocky III/Conan the Barbarian
• August 10, 9 p.m.: Raiders of the Lost Ark
• August 17, 9 p.m.: Killer Klowns from Outer Space with special appearance by directors the Chiodo Brothers.

Check out the festival website for more information on locations and showtimes for other favorite movies such as The Goonies, Spaceballs and Sixteen Candles. The Awesome Fest catches the wave of '80s nostalgia that began in the mid-2000s and does not seem to go away.

"These movies mean something to a lot of people," said Goldbloom. "There is such great community engagement with these movies. They are so mouch fun to watch with a crowd. It's a much different feel than films from the '70s."

There will be more than 50 movie screenings throughout the festival, including 30 projected outdoors onto a giant, 30-foot movie screen. All of the events are offered free of charge.