Reading FilmFEST Weekend: What's Screening Where, Where to Eat Between Films, and What Downtown Has Next

"Lights, camera, Reading!" That's the line GoggleWorks uses on its listing for the 12th annual Reading FilmFEST, which starts tomorrow, Friday, November 6, and runs through Sunday, November 8. The festival brings in independent features, documentaries, animation and shorts from around the world. On the 2026 schedule, though, Reading's own filmmakers get some of the best slots of the weekend: a late show on Saturday night and the last block on the schedule before Sunday's awards.

You also don't have to drive across the county for any of it. The screenings happen in two buildings: GoggleWorks Center for the Arts at 201 Washington Street and R/C Reading Movies 11 & IMAX on North 2nd Street. If you live here, you can treat it like an evening downtown, not a trip.

Reading's films get the prime spots

The schedule's "Made in Reading" label shows up twice, and both times it lands somewhere that matters.

On Saturday at 9:30 p.m., two Made in Reading features run side by side: Children of a Fatherless Child in IMAX 1 and Fake Out Fray in IMAX 2. They're the last screenings listed that night, after the 7:30 and 8 p.m. shows.

On Sunday at 3 p.m., the Made in Reading Shorts block plays at GoggleWorks with four films: Bottleneck, Affectionately, My Last Sin and Salazar. The festival's ticket listing describes them as films by Reading filmmakers. It's the last block on the schedule before the 5 p.m. Awards Ceremony and Reception. The shorts run just under an hour, which leaves about an hour to get dinner or walk around before the winners are named.

Local names turn up elsewhere on the program too. In a September conversation with local filmmakers on BCTV, director Martin McGowan and actor Andrea Keck were named in connection with Left Unsaid. Director Ryan Zimmerman was named with "Sarah Stonemaker, 86 News." Left Unsaid screens Sunday at 12:30 p.m. at GoggleWorks.

If you only catch a few films this weekend, plan around those Reading slots first and fill in the rest after.

Two buildings, a short walk apart

Once you know which films you want, the next question is which building each one is in. Here's how the highlights fall:

The table shows how the festival is laid out. GoggleWorks usually starts a half hour after the IMAX rooms. If you watch a noon IMAX film on Saturday or Sunday, the next GoggleWorks block starts at 12:30. Whether you can make the switch depends on how long your first film runs, so check running times on the festival schedule before you plan a double feature.

The walk itself is short. The festival's ticket listing places Centro Hispano two blocks from GoggleWorks and across from the IMAX. That's also where AAUW Reading is holding its "Tea at Three" during the festival, at $25. In practice, the distance between festival buildings is a couple of downtown blocks.

Saturday morning is mostly for people who make films or want to. Joe Whelski's "From Stage to Screen" workshop starts at 9 a.m., and a distribution workshop with Jared Hoffa and John Zaring follows at 10:30. Both are at GoggleWorks.

Which pass, if any

Your plan for the weekend decides which ticket makes sense. The FilmFreeway listing prices most single film blocks and the filmmaker workshops at $10 each. The Saturday special presentation, Miss Representation: Rise Up, is $15.

Measured against that $10 price:

• All Access Pass, $75. Covers films, events, special presentations and the Awards Ceremony. It doesn't include Friday's VIP Gala, and it doesn't guarantee a seat at sold-out films. At $10 a block, it starts to pay off around your eighth screening or workshop.
• VIP Pass, $150. Adds the Opening Night Gala, the filmmaker mixers and the Closing Awards Ceremony and Reception. The early-bird price of $75 ended July 31, 2026.
• Single tickets. Probably your best bet if you're coming mainly for the two Made in Reading slots and one or two other films.

The VIP perks start on Friday. The gala runs 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. with music by Hot Club of Reading, and it overlaps the 5:30 Encanto screening at GoggleWorks. On Sunday, the guide marks the reception after the awards as requiring a VIP pass. Liz & Pete provide the music.

Eating between films

Since the festival stays in one small part of downtown, a meal between films doesn't cost you a screening, as long as you know when each kitchen is open.

Thorn Alley Kitchen is inside GoggleWorks, the building that hosts most of the festival's programming. Berks Weekly reported in March that it was set to open April 10, 2026. According to its GoggleWorks page, it's open 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, which covers all three festival days. The café and breakfast menu starts at 9, and the full lunch and dinner menu starts at 11. Brunch starts Sunday, November 8, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., the same day as the festival's final program. The page suggests reserving a table, which is worth doing before the noon and 12:30 Sunday screenings.

A few more spots are a short walk away:

1. Judy's On Cherry, 30 South 4th Street. Its website describes it as four blocks from GoggleWorks and lists dinner Wednesday through Saturday, 5 to 9 p.m. That works for Friday or Saturday before an 8 p.m. film.
2. Jimmie Kramer's The Peanut Bar, 332 Penn Street. Its contact page lists seating Monday through Saturday, 4 to 8 p.m.
3. Equis Pica Pollo, 503 Penn Street. It's one of the newest spots downtown. Berks County Eats reports it held its grand opening on October 2. Hours weren't posted with that report, so call ahead.

Hours at small restaurants can change around holidays and events, so check before you head out between films.

What happens downtown after the awards

The festival also kicks off a busy few weeks downtown. Two weeks after FilmFEST ends, Penn Street hosts the City of Reading's 2026 Holiday Parade on Saturday, November 21, at 10 a.m. The route runs from 11th Street to 2nd Street. It finishes on 2nd Street, the same street as the IMAX. Details are on Experience Berks.

Before that, GoggleWorks holds its Reading Roots Market on Thursday, November 19, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Its event page notes that activities and vendors may change.

On Black Friday, November 27, Christmas on the Mountain opens at Hillside Playground, 459 N. 14th Street, and runs through Wednesday, December 23. Hours are 5 to 9 p.m. Sunday and Tuesday through Thursday, 5 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and it's closed Mondays. Admission and parking are both free. The organizers credit local businesses, volunteers and Reading High School's Marine Corps JROTC with keeping it that way.

Then the season brings you back to the same building where the festival started. GoggleWorks' Handcrafted Holiday Market runs Friday, December 4, from 5 to 8 p.m. and Saturday, December 5, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with makers, food and activities at 201 Washington Street.

If you're heading to the Made in Reading shorts on Sunday afternoon, I might see you there. I love a weekend like this because it's a reminder of how much is happening a few blocks from home, and that's a big part of what I share with people thinking about where they'd like to live in Berks County. If you ever want to talk about downtown Reading or anywhere nearby, reach out to Ashley Marshall. Let's Connect.