How To Create a Fun and COVID-Friendly Kids Drive-In Movie Party

Drive-in movie theaters were all the rage in the 1950s and ’60s. Now they’re making a comeback. Turn your backyard movie theater into a blast from the past by staging an unforgettable, open-air viewing party when the sun goes down. Who knew that social distancing could be so much fun?

Pre-Party Prep

Good planning is the key to any successful and memorable event. Leave nothing to chance by getting a head start with these helpful tips.

• Begin by scoring recycled cardboard refrigerator or other large boxes to make the cars. You can usually find them at appliance stores or home improvement centers. Call ahead to arrange for curbside pickup of the boxes. Grab a few more than you’ll need for unexpected guests.
• Browse the Internet for free templates to design personalized license plates for each child. Google Sheets and PowerPoint work well too.
• If you don’t already own one, now’s the time to procure an outdoor projector. Ask to borrow a friend’s, pick one up at a local electronics retailer or order one online. These projectors are affordable and simple to operate.
• Borrow or buy a projector screen, too. Or just raid your linen closet for a flat white sheet to use instead.
• Before the big day, do a test show to work out any technical glitches.
• Consider hanging string lights around the yard for an even more celebratory atmosphere.
• Ask invitees to bring pillows, blankets and sleeping bags from home to help make their vehicles comfortable. Their adults can bring lawn chairs, too.

Transform Cardboard Boxes into Cars

To transform refrigerator or other large cardboard boxes into cool coupes, follow these three easy steps:

1. With scissors or a utility knife (adults only), carve off the top of the box. Leave about a three-to-five-inch lip around the perimeter to put beverages on, and a half-moon opening in the front for easy entry.
2. Space the cut-out convertibles at a safe six feet from one another, forming a semi-circle. (If room is limited, stagger in rows.)
3. For the roadsters’ finishing touch, use double-sided tape or glue sticks to attach paper-plate wheels to the sides and personalized license plates at the rear.

Let the Fun Begin

• As each guest arrives, hand out a goodie bag filled with a personalized disposable mask, travel-size hand sanitizer and washable markers.
• Invite kids to customize their “rides.” Encourage creativity — anything goes!
• Lay down the pillows, blankets and sleeping bags you asked the kids to bring from home inside the vehicles, for comfy reclined movie-viewing.
• While the kids are mesmerized by the movie, parents can relax in the background, enjoying grown-up tidbits and libations at a safe social distance.

Craft a Snack Bar for Intermission

Cover a table with a brightly colored tablecloth to create a makeshift snack bar. Invite older siblings or parents to man it during intermission or act as carhops. Include plenty of individual bags of popcorn (this hot oil popcorn maker is a classic cinema replica!) and other quintessential movie treats. Limit the handling of food and make sure everyone uses hand sanitizer.

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