Oxford Park Commission’s Movies & Music in the Park series is returning once again for summer 2018.

Movies & Music in the Park will be held at Avent Park beginning at 7 p.m. with movies beginning at dark. The first event of the series will feature Oxford artist Michaela Compton and the “LEGO: Batman Movie.”

OPC program director Mike Young said many hours of planning goes into the Movies & Music in the Park event.

“One of the things I do is to research or what are really good movies, what’s popular in the theaters and kind of get some feedback from movie goers,” Young said. “There are a couple of sites I do go to. I also talk to other cities and see what they’re doing.”

The series will continue on June 22, with music by Skid Rogues and a special 25th-Anniversary showing of “The Lion King.” On July 13, musician Tony Maynard and “Finding Dory” will entertain the crowd, and on July 27, the series will end with Elizabeth Wise and a showing of “Moana.”

Movies & Music in the park first began eight years ago, when Young said he got the idea for an outdoor cinema event after attending a national conference.

“We ran across this company, Open Air Cinema, that builds the whole screen and sound system. It was the next big thing that cities were doing,” Young said. “We were able to find a really good deal on one and that summer of 2010, we did our first showing.”

The first movie that Young put on screen was the Blind Side.

Today, Movies & Music in the Park has around 150 people in attendance each week, according to OPC community relations director John Davis. It’s an achievement Young said he’s proud of; a family friendly event for all ages.

“Everybody really enjoys the movies,” Young said. “They enjoy the music and people bring their chairs and blankets and start to relax. Some bring a picnic basket and once they’re done eating, some of the kids hit the playground and their parents start to enjoy the music.”

For more information on OPC events, visit www.oxfordparkcommission.com.