What’s the future for outdoor events post COVID-19
We all love the good old British summer. Strawberries and cream out on the lawn, Pimms and lemonade watching Wimbledon, everyone crammed together like sardines on Henman Hill or dancing in the mud at Glastonbury with your friends. One thing is for sure, in the UK we welcome our outdoor events and a chance to join in with the crowds, whether it’s for music, sport or films. It seems to be what the summer was made for but it’s all a bit different in the summer of 2020.
Concerts and festivals cancelled, sporting events postponed, and the outdoor cinema….. well looking towards Europe this could well be one of the reasons to be cheerful and manage to get outdoors. With outdoor cinema you can organise social distancing measures far easier and indeed the government scientists have stated that COVID-19 doesn’t like to be out in the sun or heat so this might well be the way forwards to get outside with your friends and family – even at a distance – soak up the sun and some atmosphere and just enjoy!
With the extensive closures of cinemas as part of measures to halt the spread of COVID-19, drivein cinemas have been enjoying new-found popularity around the world. In the UK there’s been a resurgence in interest in drivein cinemas as social distancing is assured. Many are now looking at how this can be introduced here in the UK, having seen the drivein cinema take off in Germany and the USA in recent weeks.
In Germany improvised drive in cinemas have been popping up in all manner of outdoor spaces, such as the Erfurt Exhibition centre, a field near Marl, the technical museum in Speyer and our favourite location to date the ruins of the Phoenix West steel mill in Dortmund. Further afield a drivein cinema popped-up on the apron area at Vilnius International Airport in Lithuania.
The drivein cinema is proving as popular as ever in the US, although the number of vehicles allowed has been reduced in some cases form 220 down to 70 to ensure safe social distancing measures. At the Ocala in Florida parking spaces are roped off providing 10-12 feet space between vehicles at all times. Movie goers can still order that all important popcorn direct to their car, only this time it’s provided by servers wearing protective gloves and masks. Still this is not putting off the film buffs looking for a safe way to enjoy a movie, only this time it’s from the comfort of their car.
For those that haven’t taken up running, baking, gardening, sewing or got a new pet since the UK went into lockdown the welcome release of enjoying a movie or watching a box set has kept many people positive. There’s always a film we missed and the film we enjoyed so much we could watch it again over and over. Or the film that reminds you of a certain time in your life, or a group of people, of the friends and family you might be missing right now. Just like music, a film can be timeless, it can transport you, it can make you cry or smile, give you hope and joy.
The interest in outdoor social distance cinemas and drivein cinemas continues to grow week on week. Claire Lee, co-founder of Borrow My Garden reported to us that they are inundated with requests for drive in cinema locations at the moment. Great news for land owners looking to bring in a new demographic than perhaps would be the norm for a wedding venue or for those with empty land an opportunity to turn a profit.
So it seems for now that the outdoor cinema and drivein cinema might just be the way forward to give us all some outdoor experience with others….even if it is at a distance or from the safety of our cars.