Amphitheatre Upgrades 2026

This summer 36 different Discovery programs took place at the Amphitheatre in the campgrounds. From children’s programs to evening programs and our many special events, this location is a central part of the parks Discovery program. Thanks to funding from the Friends of Presqu’ile the amphitheatre saw a couple of new upgrades this year.

The main feature of the amphitheatre is the projection screen used to show evening programs to visitors. The screen was replaced in 2018, but a couple of years ago raccoons got into the building over the winter and ripped a hole in the bottom of the screen, and so the search for a new screen began. We couldn’t find a company that would make a screen that could be installed in the same way as the old screen but luckily, we found a Canadian company that could offer us an alternative. Grandview Crystal Screen Canada in British Columbia was able to make us a custom-ordered 10ft x 10ft screen to replace the damaged one. This new screen also came with its own frame and is fully portable, so if we ever wanted to use the screen elsewhere in the park for a special event the screen could be set up outside.

If you are familiar with the amphitheatre, you will know that the seating area has a covered roof which provides protection from the rain for visitors who are watching the program. But one of the problems has been that the staff on stage never had any rain protection. Additionally, for those that have attended the Friends AGM you will know that it can be very hard to see the screen during the daytime. So, to solve these problems we worked with EC Awnings to install a motorized retractable awning on the amphitheatre. The awning provides shelter from the rain as well as helping to shade the screen to make daytime viewing of PowerPoint programs possible. With all the rain this summer it ended up being the perfect summer to test out the new awning. The awning provided rain protection for four different Discovery programs this summer allowing programs to go ahead that might have otherwise been cancelled.

The Discovery team is very grateful to the Friends of Presqu’ile for these upgrades to the amphitheatre.