If you’re anything like me, you’re trying to soak in as much outdoor time as possible before the chilly weather returns. Of course, North Carolina doesn’t make it easy with all the 90+ degree days we’ve been having the last few weeks. Luckily, once the sun goes down it’s typically gorgeous out.
That’s why I’m such a big fan of outdoor movie nights. It’s a great way to spend time together with people and spend time outside, once it’s not scorching. There are a lot of community organizations who host outdoor movie nights throughout the summer - if you’re looking for one, typically you just have to check out your local parks and rec program and they’ll be hosting a few. J. Leigh Events even helps plan a few of these, like the move nights at Promenade (next one is in September if you want to come!).
Surprisingly, an outdoor movie night is another simple thing you could pull off in your own backyard, though. It’s the perfect way to get friends and family together, it makes for a romantic date night, and it’s a fun way to entertain the kiddos while school is out.
Really, the most important thing you’d need to pull this off is a projector, which can sound daunting. A lot of people hear that and immediately think you’ll need to drop some serious dough paying for one, and that it will be complicated to figure out how to work.
In the words of the great Dwight Schrute, false.
I recently went back on WCNC to talk about just how easy it is to host your own outdoor movie night and it was a blast. You can watch the 4 minute clip here, or read on for more details on how you can host your own movie night this summer.
I went on to Amazon and found a small projector that will work for any type of movie night I might need for $59 (head here to check it out). Trust me when I say I’m not the most tech savvy person in the world, but even so this projector was so easy to set up. I just plugged it into my laptop and streamed from Netflix. Easy peasy.
From there, the rest is simple. You can easily rent or buy movie screens to project your movie onto, or hang a white sheet in your backyard. If the side of your house or garage is white and you’re able to set up there, you can just project right onto what you already have available.
The first thing you want to do before the movie night is get your yard ready - especially if you have a pup like I do. Make sure you scoop the poop, but also just do a general walk-through for things like ant hills (OUCH) or any other issues. You don’t want any unfortunate surprises when your guests plop down with their pillows.
Speaking of, seating is another easy thing to figure out. You can absolutely set up the lawn furniture you already have or simply throw down a picnic blanket for people to cozy up on. There are picnic blankets out there that are waterproof on the underside, which is perfect for evening movie nights once the ground starts to get dewey.
When my husband and I did our movie night under the stars, I simply grabbed the cushions off the patio furniture I have and used those for a little extra padding and so we didn’t have to take our living room pillows out to the backyard.
Finally, the most important part: snacks. Of course, you can’t go wrong with popcorn. I put mine in a big bowl with a scoop and several of these popcorn bags out so my guests could bring some back with them. I also got a ton of $1 candy from the bins at Wal-Mart and the old-school Coca-Cola glass bottles for a nostalgic, drive-in movie feel.
I’d personally suggest having this all set up on a table outside away from your movie so people can get up as they please to get refills, but won’t bother anyone by going in and out of your house. On this table you could also set up bug spray and some citronella candles - an absolute must this time of year.
There ya have it! A fun movie night that’s sure to be a hit with people of all ages. Of course, if you’re just planning on doing this once, it may be better for you to work with some local vendors to rent the more expensive items you might need like a projector and movie screen, and I can help with that. Head here to contact me for more details!
Comments will be approved before showing up.
