A few years ago, we started our own movie night in our backyard. We recently bought a projector for work and soon saw family and friends gathered to watch foreign movies. We set up the projector and computer up in the backyard, and set up our screen – a king-sized sheet, attached to the side of the garage. We put large “Neat Sheets” on the floor and put pillows and blankets on top and added some chairs. Throw in a popular DVD, family, friends, popcorn and you have your own outdoor theater!
A projector is the kind you usually see in an office meeting room. We found many websites online that were selling nearby models for $200 – $300 dollars. We actually bought a two year old model that was selling for $2500. Our price was $300 plus shipping. It was still in the box and working fine.
One summer, we organized Friday backyard movie night. Every Friday, we would show a movie in the backyard, order pizzas, and order popcorn. We’ve selected family-friendly films from classics to the latest DVD releases. We made a list of films to show and emailed them to family and friends in the area. We used to spend 8 to 15 friends stopping by. Many of our friends knew that when Friday comes and you have no plan, wait and see if the “theater” is canceled.
Since we live in Texas, we can do it year round! In the summer, we set up a few fans and spray the yard a few hours before the movie starts. During the winter, we add more blankets. We have also used this for our kids birthday parties. It was perfect for our son’s Star Wars birthday party and our daughter’s High School Musical birthday party. When a popular family DVD is released, watch it at our house that Friday night, we might open a theater.
Inflatable Movie Night
The Tdoor movies are an American classic. They went way in the day and age of the internet, HDTV, and movies on demand. Why not bring back the joy of having an outdoor movie theater with a rip-roaring movie in your yard, poolside, or park?
Inflatable movie screens are great for parties. They gather everyone around the central area to watch a good flick in the evening. Throw down some blankets in front of your big screen, grab a bag of popcorn, and enjoy the fresh air while you watch your favorite new release.
You can have a movie night as long as there is enough space to have it. It’s great to have a movie night by the pool or in someone’s well-kept backyard. No particular location works best.
Choose a movie night with pleasant weather that isn’t too windy, as theaters tend to look like big boxes when the wind starts blowing on the screen. Also, people enjoy a wonderful evening with a movie, sitting on the lawn with someone they love.
You can rent inflatable movie screens from your local party rental company. All you have to do is make sure you get a screen that is big enough for the size of your audience. Also make sure that the speaker set up is large enough so that all those seeing the movie can enjoy the soundtrack without having to worry about hearing what is being said. The volume should match the screen size.
