# The Grand Cinema

Tacoma's independent movie theater and the home of the Tacoma Film Festival. Thursday tickets are $7.50, with some exceptions.

Canonical URL: https://tacomairl.com/places/grand-cinema/
Section: places
Area: Stadium
Published: 2026-10-11
Last fact check: 2026-10-11
Status: Not marked closed; check official information
Location: Stadium
Address: 606 Fawcett Avenue, Tacoma, WA, US
Price: Adult $13; matinee $10 under the theater’s time rules. Thrifty Thursday $7.50 excludes holidays, special events and advance screenings.
Official information: https://grandcinema.com/all-about-the-grand/
Opening: About 20 minutes before the first screening; use that day’s schedule.

The best reason to open The Grand's listings is the possibility of choosing a film you had not heard of. Its programming includes independent cinema and community screenings; the calendar also gives you ways in through series such as Weird Elephant and Science on Screen.

Try choosing by format once: a documentary, a short-film program or a screening with a discussion. You are committing to an evening, not swearing allegiance to a director. Read the description and rating, then let curiosity do some of the work usually assigned to a trailer.

## The festival grew out of the theater

The Grand established Tacoma Film Festival in 2006. Its festival page retains October 9–16, 2025 dates, useful as a record of past programming but not a reliable schedule for another year. Use the current ticket calendar for the edition you plan to attend, including its actual venue.

A block of shorts is our suggestion for an undecided festival visitor. Several filmmakers get a chance to surprise you, and a film you dislike ends comparatively soon. If there is a conversation afterward, allow time for it rather than building a schedule around running time alone.

## The cheap ticket has fine print worth reading

Thrifty Thursday is listed at $7.50, excluding holidays, special events and advance screenings. Ordinary matinee rules also differ between weekdays and weekends. Compare the actual screening price before assuming the promotion applies.

Parking deserves the same attention. The adjacent lot is listed as free on weekends and after 4pm on weekdays, with weekday daytime charges. The separate lot at 438 Fawcett has its own schedule and closes after the final film. Read signs and do not leave a car there for an unrelated late dinner.

**A small practical pleasure:** the cinema advertises refillable-water stations and complimentary coffee and tea in its lounge. Bring your bottle. For a different historic movie room, see [Blue Mouse](https://tacomairl.com/places/blue-mouse-theatre/), whose special-show calendar has a personality of its own.

Image: https://tacomairl.com/images/grand-cinema.webp
Alt: Evening sidewalk outside The Grand Cinema, with a red carpet, stanchions, string lights in the windows and a sandwich board for the theater.
Caption: Evening entrance from the theater's fundraising page. Capture date unconfirmed.
Image credit: Photo source: The Grand Cinema
Image source: https://grandcinema.com/yearendfunddrive/
Image rights: Website-sourced; reuse license not established

## Sources

- [Cinema: ticket prices, parking and opening policy](https://grandcinema.com/all-about-the-grand/)
- [Cinema: Tacoma Film Festival history and archived 2025 dates](https://grandcinema.com/tacomafilmfestival/)
- [Cinema: programs and current announcements](https://grandcinema.com/news-and-events/)