Missing the movies? This drive-in social distance cinema is coming to a town near you
A 1950s-inspired drive-in cinema will tour the UK to offer an unexpected trip to the pictures during the pandemic.
Punters can expect bingo, silent discos and stand-up comedy before their film begins in a social distance-friendly setting.
Guests can even order American diner-style snacks from an app and have waiters on rollerskates deliver their food – all in accordance with government guidelines.
@TheDriveIn’s pop-up screens will appear in London on July 2. They’ll then go on to entertain crowds in ten other cities including Birmingham, Newcastle and Manchester, until September.
Tickets for the experience cost £35 per car. They go on sale on Wednesday May 27 and must be bought in advance.
Ten tickets per screening will be given to NHS staff and care workers as a goodwill gesture from organisers Mainstage Festivals.
Screens will play six films per day, with eighties classics and family favourites to be enjoyed from vehicles parked two metres apart.
Numberplates will be checked in with a contactless system too, to ensure staff are kept safe.
Event organiser Alan Crofton said: “We are incredibly excited to bring our modern day version on the classic drive-in to the UK this summer.
“Our aim is for @TheDriveIn to be an experience that brings real joy this summer and the perfect antidote to a post-lockdown world, and we promise to deliver it within a safe yet fun environment. See you at the drive-in.”
@TheDriveIn Screenings 2020
| Date | Location |
|---|---|
| July 2–5 | London (south) |
| July 9–12 | Birmingham |
| July 16–19 | Manchester |
| July 23–26 | Newcastle |
| July 30–August 2 | Edinburgh |
| August 6–9 | Glasgow |
| August 13–16 | Liverpool |
| August 20-23 | Cardiff |
| August 27–30 | Bristol |
| September 3–6 | Southampton |
| September 10–13 | Brighton |
| Semptember 17–20 | London (east) |
Many of us will be grateful for a good reason to take our cars for a spin in a few months’ time, and a trip to a drive-in cinema has to be a better excuse to leave the home than “buying nail clippers for the dog”.
As lockdown measures start to relax we’ll certainly miss hearing the unusual excuses motorists have given police for hitting the road.
Will you be pulling up to the pictures this summer? Let us know in the comments.
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