Festival Cinema Center 5

5-plex opening ad posted.

I too worked at Festival Cinema Center. I was the manager there. I think I stayed with the company for about a year while I lived in Concord. Those who worked with me would remember me as TURK or Aytac. Often wonder where they are now..

I use to work in the Tishman building on N California Blvd., don’t believe the theatre was torn down in 1981, because I do remember going here in 1994 to watch Quentin Tarantino’s film ‘Pulp Fiction’ with a friend.

Having been a former “real” projectionist, which required union membership, and apprenticeship when carbon-arch projection was the main source of the single screen theater, I hated (and still do)the multiplex theatre-type of operation.

But of all the “bird cages” that were built, I must say the Festival in Walnut Creek was, at least, the nicest of all that I have seen.
I remember the arcade booth upstairs. I believe the same company opened the Regency in Pleasant Hill. These two multiplexs were very nice for that type of operation, but if you saw the Roxy Theater in New York, or the Fox Theater San Francisco, or the Radio City Music Hall, you will know what I mean by the term “bird cages.” I even used to call the Enean (Concord) and El Rey (Walnut Creek) Theaters “fly traps” compared to the large monster theaters, but the suburban theaters had a nice intimate atmosphere. The Orinda is a fine example of a gem.

The Festival could not last for the same reason the single screens disappeared – first, there was “twinning” – converting a single screen into two auditoriums….then the “four-plex” and along came the Festival (done in good taste)……movie distributors simply
sought out the larger complexes and ignored the smaller ones.

Now, they are tearing down 12 to 16 multiplexes in favor of larger ones. I certainly do not care for today’s designs and colors of
these new “broom closets.”

At least, the Walnut Creek Festival had taste in designs!

This was my favorite theater growing up. A lot of ‘classics’ (mind you I’m a child of the 80s) I saw at this theater and fondly remember. This was also the theater that inspired me to get into the film industry. My God Mother took me to see the ‘muppet movie’ when I was a kid here and her daughter was a theater manager. she took me to the projector room after the film and being up there just ‘inspired’ me to get into this industry. About 15 years later I saw my first screen credit in that theater. This year I had my biggest screen credit yet and would have loved to have seen it there, sadly. It’s gone.

I lived in Walnut Creek in the early 1940’s. I remember the El Rey theater quite well. Saw many movies there. I attended the Walnut Creek school (4th grade). I can remember our class going to see
“Bambi” there. Also remember the long line of people waiting to get
in to see “Gone with the Wind” when it played at the El Rey. Seems
like there was an El Rey hot dog stand next to the theater. There
was also the “Home Restaurant” on one end of town when you came in
from Oakland. There was a Walgreens in about the middle of town. I have happy memories of living in Walnut Creek in the early 1940’s.

I have a lot of fond memories of the Festival. It was always the nicest theater in the area, until the arrival of the Brendon in Concord, which is now oddly itself fallen out of favor.

Does anybody know about the El Rey theater that was on Main St in the downtown area. (I am assuming it is now either demolished and/or turned into retail)

The ankle grabber was still there in 91-93?! I remember him, too!

Did this open in 1969 as a single or a 5-plex?

I worked at this theatre for 3 years as an assistant manager & a manager trainee. This theatre was the original location of the Festival Enterprises chain. It was the home office & theatre. The chain was sold to Mann Theatres about 1987. Festival Enterprises was very successful.

What a fun place to work, glad that others remember this theatre.