Drive-In Theater Etiquette

Families are flocking to drive-in theaters in record numbers. It is a perfect outing on a summer night. Drive-ins are inexpensive, fun, romantic and festive. My family and I jumped on the bandwagon and headed out to the drive-in to see a movie one evening last summer. It ended up being one of the more disappointing nights of our summer. We discovered that, while drive-in theaters are enjoying a resurgence in popularity, the manners of the patrons are taking a nose-dive.

Going to the drive-in is so relaxing that many people forget that they are in a public venue, not in their own home. As with all public activities, it is wise to remember there are others around you who deserve consideration.

Before drive-in season kicks off this spring, here is a list of etiquette tips for the modern family. Not only will you have a more enjoyable drive-in experience, but so will your drive-in neighbors.

Do not use an empty parking space for lawn chairs or sleeping bags.

Each family at a drive-in is allotted a decent sized space for their vehicle with room to spare to place lawn chairs. Upon arriving at the drive-in last summer, my family drove around for over twenty minutes looking for a space. Many spaces near the front were free of vehicles, but had become the temporary living room of a family with an adjacent car. Some of these only held one or two children, sitting in chairs or laying in sleeping bags, waiting for the movie to start. We asked a couple families if we could use these available spots only to be told that they were using them already. Just because you arrive at the drive-in early, does not mean you can hog as many spaces as you see fit.

Extra-large vehicles should park in a back row.

We have a Ford Escort, which is a small car. Today's highways are filled with larger vehicles and, so are drive-in theaters. This makes it hard for cars like ours to find a spot at the drive-in. We pulled into several spots, only to find that we could not see above the monster vehicle in front of us. We could see around moderately sized vehicles, like minivans. But, the gargantuan SUVs were another story.