The Do It Yourself Drive-In

Does your town have an old-style drive-in theater? Not many of them still exist, but many people of a certain age remember them fondly. The drive-in offered a special kind of communal entertainment experience. The sea of parked cars, the door-mounted trays of food and drink, the tinny little car speakers -- it was a unique and memorable part of American popular culture. Wouldn't it be great if you could recreate that environment for your next outdoor event? Well, with our  Showcase Series outdoor theater, you can!

What goes into hosting a "Drive-In Night" for your church social, school presentation or organizational event? Well, first you have to secure the presentation rights to the film you plan on screening, usually through a major distributor such as Swank Motion Pictures. You also have to set up the presentation area properly. The parking lot for a building makes an ideal spot for a drive-in showing, partly because you have nice marked-off spaces for vehicles and partly because you can use the building's electricity. You won't need to deal with little speakers for each car, because the Showcase's twin 10" speakers deliver plenty of volume (you can order two additional speakers for the rear of the parking lot if you're expecting an enormous crowd.)

You may also want to make sure the screen is tethered down against an unexpected surge of wind. We recommend running the included cam buckle web straps through the holes in some cinder blocks, for example, just to play it safe.

Dress up your "Drive-In Night" as much as you like. Sell concessions from car to car, show some fun old vintage trailers or ads before the main feature, or even go for the classic double feature presentation. It's a new spin on an old favorite pastime!