During the warmer months, many communities offer outdoor movies in downtown parks and plazas. Downtown drive-ins are also gaining in popularity.
In Columbus, OH, a downtown market collaborated with a local film center to offer movies shown on a 30-foot tall screen in the market’s parking lot each month.
Guests could tune in to the movies via car radios, and sound was also broadcast from various points around the parking lot so that those arriving by foot or bicycle could also enjoy the show. The movies, which began at dusk, were family- and teen-friendly offerings. Prices were $18 per vehicle, or $5 per pedestrian. Nearby merchants benefited by providing concessions to hungry moviegoers.
In Camden, NJ, which is reputed to have been home to the nation’s first drive-in theater, nonprofit Connect the Lots brought a pop-up drive-in to the downtown waterfront last summer. The lot opened at 7:30, with drivers paying $15 per car.
And in Winnipeg, MB, Canada, for the past two years, a pop-up Downtown Drive-In has been located in the parking lot of a retail complex in the city center during the summer months. The parking lot opens to the public at 7:30, with films beginning at sundown. Admission is free for those arriving on bikes, transit, or by foot, and $10 for those wishing to reserve a space for their vehicle (spaces can be reserved online at the Downtown Winnipeg BIZ website). Food is provided by a nearby pizzeria and several food trucks.
The full article appeared in our print edition. To always get the full story, read Downtown Idea Exchange.