The Drive-In Theater At A Former Elementary School In Maine Is Officially Open For Its Second Summer Season

Summer means warm breezes, salty air, and fun with friends and family. It also means taking advantage of all the fun things Maine has to offer when life feels just a little bit more relaxed. We all have our favorite activities. The ones that make us feel the summer in our bones. For us, visiting a drive-in movie theater is one of those things and this new one offers all the right vibes!

Each year the Camden International Film Festival celebrates the best nonfiction filmmakers with a week of movie showings and special events. But, in 2020, that tradition was changed when most large indoor gatherings were canceled.

The festival was held virtually, instead. While it's great that things continued, watching alone doesn't bring the same pomp and circumstance as the regular festival and it was clear that film-loving Mainers needed a little something special for their summer.

Founder Ben Fowlie and his team got to work and created The Shotwell Drive-In, a pop-up drive-in movie theater on the site of an abandoned elementary school in Rockport.

The theater went from concept to reality in just a few weeks and it was a welcome sign of normalcy during an otherwise challenging summer.

We're thrilled to see that the fun has returned this year for its second season!

There are lots of fun Maine accents including the lobster pots that indicate parking spots.

The projector is even housed inside a lighthouse.

Throughout the summer and into the fall movies ranging from music documentaries to beloved summer classics to perfectly timed features that celebrate events like Pride month will play. But be sure to check the schedule and book early as there's only room for 85 cars at a time.

Tickets are $20 per car, no matter how many people are inside. And, as you can see here, visitors are encouraged to get creative in their quest to stay comfortable!

The Shotwell Drive-In is open from June 3rd, 2021 through October 23rd, 2021. That's plenty of time to take in a movie under the stars. You can learn more about them and see their schedule by visiting their website. You can also learn more about the Points North Institute that helped make the theater possible here. They can be reached on 207-975-6096.

If a night seeing a movie under the stars is right up your alley, get ready because drive-in theaters are re-opening all over Maine!