June 6th – National Drive In Day – It’s Making a Come Back!

Get a carload of friends or Fam and head to your nearest drive-in! Use #DriveInMovieDay to post on social media.

National Drive-In Movie Day is observed annually on June 6th.  Richard M. Hollingshead Jr. of Camden, New Jersey was the creator of the drive-in theater. Hollingshead’s drive-in opened in New Jersey on June 6, 1933.

At this first drive-in theater, the screen was 40 feet by 50 feet and there were 400 car slots.  The advertising slogan used was, “The whole family is welcome, regardless of how noisy the children are.”  The idea caught on quickly and drive-ins began to pop up in other areas.  In the late 1950s there were 4,000 drive-ins across the United States.

The invention of color television, VCRs and video rentals along with the increase in land values and the widespread adoption of daylight saving time, led to a sharp decline in the drive-in popularity.

For a comprehensive list of drive-in theaters still in operation today, visit driveinmovie.com for locations by state.