I wasn’t one of those who HAD to see the Barbie movie when it came out. But for our monthly date night, my husband proposed we go to a drive-in movie, which was showing Barbie. A drive-in movie was not on my radar at all, so I figured why not try it out? Sounded like fun!
Other than seeing drive-in movies in other movies, I had no clue what to expect. You sit in your car, watching a movie with a little sound box and people on rollerskates bring you food right?
If you’ve also never been to a drive-in movie, read on for some tips and thoughts on my experience.
To start with, going to the drive-in movie felt almost like going back into the past. Maybe it’s just this particular one, but the building, the sign, the decor – it all looked like it hadn’t been updated in 50+ years (although it was well maintained).
When we walked in to the building to get food, I felt like I was walking into a movie. Even the smell of the air reminded me of an 80s rollerskating rink.
It makes sense because I imagine they run on a low budget, but the nostalgia of the decor added to the overall experience. It was wild, and so cool!
Here are some tips and thoughts to help your drive-in movie experience, if you decide to go to one near you (assuming your drive-in has similar rules):
- They would not let us in without having our lights off so figure our how your headlights work. Ours turned on automatically if the car was running, so we put towels under our hood to block the lights. Others cars used car mats, paper plates, pizza boxes, etc. Your headlights have to be covered before you’re allowed in.
- If you don’t want to rent a radio, bring a battery powered radio or something you can listen to the movie on so you don’t have to use your car radio (there were a few cars whose batteries died)
- Bring bug spray!
- Even if you don’t plan on eating right away, I suggest buying drinks and food when you get there. The lines get long!
- Same with the bathroom – go early, the lines were wrapped around the building even an hour before sundown!
- We would’ve had to pay a fee to bring our own food and drink. There were people walking around looking at food, so know ahead of time if you can BYO.
- Bring cash. It helps you get through the line faster.
- The food options were fairly limited to movie theater type of food: fried foods, popcorn, candy, soda, pizza, ice cream, etc. You could feel the grease clogging your pores as you stood in line. Yum!
- The earlier you get there, the more options you have for spaces. But they did have specific areas for large cars versus small cars. Don’t wait until it’s dark to arrive.
- Depending on your car, you may want to bring chairs just in case it’s a better view to sit outside of your car. We sat in our trunk on pool floaties, while others sat on picnic blankets too. One truck had a couch in it. Whatever works!
- It’s really family friendly. No alcohol was allowed, and there was a playground for kids to use until it got dark.
Some folks went all out in Barbie attire, some had a party van (literally a birthday party of middle schoolers) and some cars had two people.
Our drive-in movie was a double feature, and about half of the cars left after the first movie. We stayed until the end of the second movie, but it was a long night.
Overall, it was a really relaxed experience, and very cool. I could imagine my parents having had a similar experience when they were in high school or college age, or like Grease could’ve been filmed there. I don’t think I’d do it often because of the drive and late night, but I recommend giving a drive-in theater a chance, if you can!
Have you ever been to a drive-in movie before? If so, do you have any tips or different experiences to add? Comment below. If not, I hope this helps you consider trying a drive-in movie near you!
Thanks for reading.
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