At a time when
movie ticket prices are at an all-time high, there’s a nostalgic longing for the dollar
drive-in theaters of yesteryear. Recognizing this, local businesses across the country are presenting a new, more environmentally conscious form of the drive-in experience — the bike-in theater, a modern spin on an old favorite created especially for those who prefer to travel on two wheels.
New Belgium’s Bike-in-Cinema: New Belgium Brewing, a craft beer brewery in Fort Collins, Colorado, hosts a bi-weekly
Bike-in-Cinema on the front lawn of their sprawling headquarters. In a town that truly
embraces bikers, the event attracts crowds of 500-plus who pedal up to watch cult-classics like
Animal House and
So I Married An Axe Murderer. Given its location, naturally there’s beer involved. Attendees, while watching retro flicks, sip the company’s award-winning brew against a stunning Rocky Mountain backdrop. Besides the environmental benefit, New Belgium also donates the proceeds from the series, which exceed $10,000 every season, to worthy local causes.
Manifold Bike-In Theater: Last year, when the New York office of creative agency
Manifold wanted to celebrate summer with the neighbors, they joined with local supper club
Forking Tasty to produce a bike-in movie screening-slash-dinner party on the waterfront during sunset. This year, they’re back with an expanded program of pop-up
movie theaters just for cyclists, and with plans to expand to other major US cities. The event has always been free, but as it grows, keeping up with production costs has become more challenging. Therefore, those who want the opportunity take their wheels for a cinematic ride had best donate to the
dedicated Kickstarter campaign immediately.
The Hideout's Bike-In Movie Theater: The Hideout and
The Logan Square International Film Series, two pillars of Chicago’s arts community, are collaborating this summer on a series of outdoor bike-in screenings. Staged on the aforementioned music venue’s outdoor patio, it’s only appropriate that the series boasts a music theme, with band documentaries and concert films comprising most of the lineup. The Windy City has no shortage of outdoor shows—
Lollapalooza was
this past weekend and
Pitchfork took place in July—but The Hideout’s lineup of old-school flicks is introducing the MTV generation to the original wave of festival culture with screenings of films like
Woodstock and
The Complete Monterey Pop Festival.
