For entertainment lovers, drive-in theaters are this summer's salvation.
Last update: June 22, 2020 at 10:47 AM.
Bummed that so many summer concerts, festivals and sporting events have been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic? A throwback to the 1950s is turning out to be the season’s entertainment salvation.
As we enter our summer of social distancing, drive-in theaters are experiencing a veritable revival thanks to the winning combination of fresh-air surroundings and stay-in-your-car seating.
With indoor cinemas still closed in most states, film lovers are flocking to drive-ins to see the latest movies — and when there isn’t a drive-in available, communities are creating them. Along with the 300-odd classic drive-in theaters scattered around the country, pop-up drive-ins are appearing, well, everywhere — in the parking lots of malls, disused concert venues and sports stadiums as well as at public docks and in open fields.
The phenomenon is happening in big cities like Omaha, Nebraska and small towns like Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. From Shoreline, Washington to Brevard, North Carolina, and from Chicago, Illinois to Charleston, West Virginia, drive-ins are popping up like daisies.
Across the country, we see gigantic indoor movie cineplexes — such as the Marcus Majestic Cinema in Waukesha, Wisconsin and Twin Creek Cinema in Bellevue, Nebraska — converting their enormous parking lots to drive-in theaters and showing outdoor double features all summer long.
But drive-ins are not just for movies these days. Earlier this month, Keith Urban became the first major artist to do a drive-in concert when he performed for a few hundred medical personnel sheltering in cars and trucks at the Stardust Drive-In Theatre in Watertown, Tennessee. Around the country, drive-in venues are hosting movie screenings, concerts, comedy nights, stunt shows, family matinees and more.
Mark your calendars for these car-centric events that could take your summer from meh to marvelous.
May 16-July 18, Derry, NH: Tupelo Music Hall Drive-In Experience
A drive-in concert at Tupelo Music Hall in Derry, NH. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/For The Washington ... [+]
Indoor concerts may be banned for the foreseeable future, but the Tupelo Music Hall in Derry, New Hampshire made a quick pivot to drive-in entertainment in its front parking lot. The schedule offers a bit of everything, from acoustic musical performances to comedy nights and kid shows.
How to attend: For information and ticket, see the event’s website.
May 21-June 6, St. Louis, MO: Drive-In St. Louis
A mall parking lot in St. Louis has become a social distancing solution in the Midwest.
The parking lot of the closed St. Louis Outlet Mall has turned into a stellar drive-in venue hosting live music and movies, complete with a huge stage, five LED jumbotron screens, and an FM transmitter pumping sound into car car stereos. Each night promises music and a movie, with the headliner, blues artist Jeremiah Johnson, slated to perform on June 6.
How to attend: Concerts and movies are scheduled every night through May 30 and June 5-6. See the full schedule and buy tickets on the event’s website.
May 29-June 6, Phoenix & Orlando: The Road Rave
The DJ and music producer Carnage brings his rave on the road.
Diamanté Anthony Blackmon — better known on the electronic dance music scene as Carnage — is known for his live performances at major music festivals. The award-winning DJ and record producer will embark on an two-city “road rave” starting with back-to-back nights at the Wild Horse Motorsports Park in Phoenix (May 29-30) followed by one night at the Central Florida Fairgrounds in Orlando (June 6). Each show will feature festival main stage concert production for over 500 cars and a handful of supporting DJ acts.
How to attend: Find info and buy tickets on the event’s website. Additional shows will be announced soon.
Begins June 3, Dallas, TX: DIFF Drive-In Series
The DIFF Drive-In Series will kick off with The Goonies.
The Dallas International Film Festival is one of the many events that didn’t happen as scheduled this spring. As a consolation, festival organizers are hosting a series of summer drive-in movie nights at Four Corners Brewing Company, south of downtown Dallas, where films will be projected on an enormous Samsung screen. The series kicks off with The Goonies on June 3 and will run through the summer.
How to attend: For information, see the DIFF’s Facebook page.
June 4-7, Arlington, TX: Concert in Your Car
The Texas Rangers are making good use of their new stadium.
With big-league baseball on hold until July, the Texas Rangers are putting to good use their brand new Globe Life Field stadium — or, at least the parking lot — by hosting a four-day concert series that’s “designed to give music fans the live show experience, while still maintaining social distancing.” The line-up for the Concert in Your Car series includes the Eli Young Band, Whiskey Myers, Pat Green, the Josh Abbott Band and Kevin Fowler.
How to attend: Buy tickets on the event’s website.
June 5-14, Sarasota, FL: Nik Wallenda’s Daredevil Rally
The high-wire walker is taking his stunt show to the drive-in this summer.
A seventh-generation member of the famous Flying Wallendas family, renowned high-wire walker and 11-time Guinness World Record Holder Nik Wallenda is known for performing without a net. Now he is bringing “the world’s first drive-in stunt show” to Sarasota’s Nathan Benderson Park the first two weekends in June.
Wallenda will be joined by a bevy of stunt performers, including FMX freestyle jumpers, BMX riders and a human cannonball. The audience will watch the shows from their cars and tune in via a local radio station. Hungry? Text your order to the carnival-like food court and get Southern faves like funnel cakes, fried oreos and corn dogs delivered to your car.
How to attend: Buy tickets on the event’s website.
June 18-July 29: Christian Music Concert Drive-In Series
Seven-time Grammy winner TobyMac is hitting the drive-in circuit this summer.
Two tours and five stars on the Contemporary Christian Music circuit will be performing at drive-ins in nearly two dozen cities throughout the Southeast and Midwest in June and July.
The first tour — featuring seven-time Grammy winner TobyMac and platinum-selling Newsboys United — will have a decidedly retro vibe as it skips around to some of the country’s classic outdoor venues, like the circa-1965 Kenda Drive-In Theater in Marshall, Arkansas; Highway 21 Drive-In in Beaufort, South Carolina; and the 66 Drive-In, a historic theater on U.S. Route 66 in Carthage, Missouri.
A second tour featuring three more award-winning CCM stars — Michael W. Smith, Steven Curtis Chapman, and Mac Powell — will run from July 16-29 at drive-ins in 10 other locations.
How to attend: Find dates and buy tickets on the event’s website.
Begins June 19, Los Angeles: Street Food Cinema
Social distancing summer in LA.
Classic blockbuster films screened in rotation at drive-ins around greater Los Angeles with eats provided by some of LA’s best food trucks. What’s not to love? It’s a winning formula that is slated to run all summer and way into fall.
How to attend: Find dates and buy tickets on the event’s website.
Begins June 19, Miami: The Outdoor Theaters at Hard Rock Stadium
The Miami Dolphins are turning Hard Rock Stadium into a giant drive-in.
The Miami Dolphins announced that it will be converting Hard Rock Stadium into a 230-car drive-in theater this summer, with the aim to showcase select Miami Dolphins match-ups from the team’s 54-year history, classic motion picture films and other events. The family-friendly experience will abide by social distancing policies, according to the press release.
“It’s a fundamental human need to physically experience and celebrate events and experiences together, and we’re trying to provide options for everyone where they can be safely socially distant and socially present at the same time,” said Miami Dolphins and Hard Rock Stadium Vice Chairman and CEO Tom Garfinkel.
There will also be a open-air theater available for smaller private events. Specific events and dates will be announced soon.
How to attend: Sign up to receive email alerts on the event’s website.
June 24-Sept 20, US Tour: The Parking Lot Social
The Parking Lot Social tour kicks off June 23 in Houston.
With the slogan “engines off, party on!,” the Parking Lot Social kicks off a 16-city tour with five nights in Houston before hitting Dallas, Austin, Tampa, DC and Indianapolis by the end of July. There are a half a dozen big cities on the August calendar, including 10 nights in Philly and 11 in Brooklyn.
The roving festival promises to transform the traditional drive-in experience into a three-hour supersized, multi-sensory extravaganza with live bands, ‘car-a-oke,’ silent disco, movies, interactive trivia and stand-up comedians, as well as food, drinks, and much more.
How to attend: Find dates and buy tickets on the event’s website.
June 24-July 1: Bert Kreischer’s Hot Summer Nights Drive-In Comedy Tour
Bert Kreischer is the first-ever stand-up comedian to embark on a drive-in comedy tour.
With two Netflix specials and a popular podcast under his belt, Bert Kreischer is known for his unique brand of shirtless comedy, which interweaves frat-boy antics with humorous anecdotes about family and fatherhood.
This summer, Kreischer is taking his stand-up show on the road with a drive-in comedy tour that skips from North Carolina to Colorado. To make the most of your experience, you can download an app to order concessions and have food delivered to your car, and even to schedule restroom appointments to avoid waiting in line.
How to attend: Buy tickets at BertBertBert.com beginning Friday, May 29.
Begins June 25, Nationwide: Tribeca Drive-In Film Series
De Niro's summer film series is coming to a drive-in near you.
Thank Robert De Niro and his partner Jane Rosenthal for bringing what promises to be a terrific summer film series to drive-in theaters across America.
Their company, Tribeca Enterprises, in partnership with IMAX and AT&T, has launched an initiative to “provide families with a safe, comfortable entertainment experience in cities and towns across the country, as the nation takes steps to emerge from coronavirus lockdowns,” according to a statement.
The series will present a mix of new, classic and independent films, as well as special music and sports events. De Niro framed the project as a way to “reinvent a classic movie-going experience for communities to enjoy together safely.”
How to attend: Tribeca Drive-In’s calendar, ticket information and locations will be announced in the coming weeks on TribecaFilm.com. Tribeca Drive-In is working with the United Drive-In Theatre Owners Association, which has over 140 member theaters in 40 states.
June 26-27, Fort Collins, CO: Beanstalk at the Drive-In
This Colorado festival is happening at a drive-in this summer.
A highlight of Colorado’s summer music calendar, the well-loved Beanstalk Music & Mountains Festival usually takes place on the banks of the Colorado River, nestled in a drop-dead-gorgeous mountain valley that’s an outdoors lover’s paradise.
This year, festival goers will gather to watch a half dozen bands perform live from their cars, at the Holiday Twin Drive-In in Fort Collins. The host band, Magic Beans, has been building a reputation as one of the premier young jam acts in the country, and four other bands round out this year’s line-up.
How to attend: Buy tickets on the event’s website.
June 27: Garth Brooks One-Night-Only Drive-In Concert
Country superstar Garth Brooks is bringing his show to drive-ins across North America this summer.
For one night only, Grammy-winning country superstar Garth Brooks will screen an outdoor concert event at 300 drive-in theaters across the U.S. and Canada.
How to attend: Tickets cost $100 per passenger car or truck. Drive-in theaters will be announced beginning Monday, June 15 at 12:00 pm ET.
July-August, New York City, NY: Uptown Drive-In
Yankee Stadium will turn into a giant drive-in venue this summer.
This summer, New York City’s coolest fest is happening in the Bronx. Every weekend starting in July, Yankee Stadium’s parking lot will turn into a giant drive-in carnival complete with a gigantic stage offering live music performances, big-screen movies, games, raffles, giveaways and more — along with carside dinner service from some of the Big Apple’s best street vendors. Attendees will be able to view the entertainment through their windshields and listen through their car radios.
Uptown Drive-In plans to offer evening experiences on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, and a daytime family-friendly brunch series on Saturdays and Sundays.
The event is the brainchild of MASC Hospitality, the NYC-based company responsible for the Bronx Night Market and the Bronx Beer Festival.
How to attend: All-inclusive tickets will be available online only, on a first-come, first-served basis. Sign up here for alerts.
July 7-16, Skowhegan, ME: Maine International Film Festival
The show will go on after all this summer, as MIFF moves outdoors.
Now in its 23rd year, the popular Maine International Film Festival (MIFF) — an event the Boston Globe called “the best-curated film event in New England” — is on the move this summer. The festival will take place at the Skowhegan Drive-In Theatre, a mainstay venue that’s been entertaining crowds in central Maine since 1954. The festival program will be announced in late June.
How to attend: Buy passes on the event’s website.
July 10-12, Midwest Tour: Live Nation’s Live From the Drive-In
Live from the Drive-In features headliners like Brad Paisley.
Live Nation has announced its first ever U.S. drive-in concert series, kicking off July 10-12 in Indianapolis, Nashville and St. Louis. Brad Paisley will get top billing in all three initial cities. Darius Rucker and Jon Pardi also headline in Nashville; Nelly and El Monstero will headline in St. Louis; and Jon Pardi and Yacht Rock Revue will headline in Indianapolis.
Fans can expect contactless ticket scanning through their window when they pull into the venue and then will be shown to their designated tailgate area where they can park and enjoy the show from their own marked-off space.
How to attend: Find dates and buy tickets on the event’s website.
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