Downtown bar and lounge hangout, Playground, is providing alternatives to the average Tucson date night.
Every Tuesday at 7 p.m., Playground hosts Date Night, which offers dinner and two films shown back to back on the Bar Cinema. Couples can enjoy a full dinner menu including drinks and free popcorn.
The bar began Date Night on July 2, and plans to continue the event every week until at least the end of the semester, said Sandy Ford, director of operations at Playground.
According to Erika Donald, Playground’s manager, the bar began doing date night to offer residents and students of Tucson more options for downtown entertainment.
“We’re trying to find new and fun, more interesting things to do for Tucson,” Donald said. “It’s something I like to do, so I think it would be fun for a lot of other people as well.”
Until recently, Playground has held a stigma as being strictly a bar in downtown Tucson, but with new events like Date Night, manager Victoria Velazquez said that idea is changing.
“Downtown is exploding right now. There’s so much fun stuff to do,” Velazquez said. “On Friday and Saturday, it’s easy to find things, but it’s those weekdays that can be tough. So, we thought it would be a fun alternative to give people something to do here in town.”
Playground’s Date Night is designed to appeal to all ages and is the perfect option for couples on their first date as well as couples who have been together for longer periods of time, Velazquez said.
“On some first dates, conversation is difficult,” Velazquez said. “It would be nice to have something to talk about and fill in the awkward silences you may have.”
While Playground is known for its Ivy League nights on Thursdays that feature drink specials for college students, the downtown hangout is hoping to draw in a larger crowd with this approach to dates and looks forward to even larger crowds as the weather cools down, Ford said.
“We wanted to do something fun, and we love putting movies on outside,” Ford said. “It’s not very ‘College Night $2 Beers.’ It’s just something a little different.”
On Tuesday, Playground will screen “Fight Club” and “Mr. & Mrs. Smith.” For more information, visit playgroundtucson.com
