OUTDOOR MOVIE NIGHT

Summer is here and being outdoors is what we all have been craving. During quarantine, my family decided to start doing weekly family movie nights at home. It became a staple for us and at the same time brought us all together. Each Sunday, Joe would set up the screen and we would pick the movie theme for the week. Everyone would place their candy orders, we would make popcorn and gather as a family and watch a movie together. No phones, just all of us together enjoying our family ritual. In this blog, I’m sharing all of our Outdoor Movie Night must haves for your family to enjoy a movie night at home. With the beautiful summer weather, it’s the perfect time to get outside and enjoy your own home movie night.

Outdoor Movie Night Set Up

First things first, you want to have the perfect set up for your outdoor movie. I’ll share a similar set up to what we have below. We liked the screen linked HERE instead of the blow up version because if its a windy night the blow up version will be blowing around the entire time you are watching the movie and it can be a distraction. Rather, we purchased a set that wasn’t blow up.

Once we purchased these items, we were able to attach a computer to the projector and select our movie from Netflix, Hulu and any other streaming app you prefer. The projector can be found HERE and you may need this lightning attachment as well if you don’t already have one. Research and see if you will need this to connect your computer to the projector.

Setting The Mood

Of course you can use what you have around the house in regards to chairs and blankets, but I am sharing theme for setting the mood for your movie night. You can set up your Outdoor Movie Night in the grass or watch from the pool and every gets rafts and blow ups to lay on. I’m sharing some grass set up options for you below.

First, I love setting up blankets in the grass for anyone who prefers to sit or lay on the grass, plus it adds a fun color scheme to the movie night. HERE I am sharing some of my favorite Hand Woven Mexican blankets. I love these for indoors too as they add a pop of color and also are super cozy for lounging. If no one wants to sit on the ground on them, they are great for covering up on those chilly nights.

We have some Adirondack Chairs at home that we used, I’m linking some HERE and we also bought two Hammocks for those that wanted to lay down and watch the movie. Of course those were always taken by the girls. I’m linking a hammock with a stand HERE as well as a hanging hammock HERE. You can see them below.

We installed these string French cafe lights around our backyard to set the mood. Definitely not a necessity, but they give the back yard a nice vibe not only on movie nights but all year long. I will link them HERE.

Snack Time

Now that you have everything to watch the movie comfortably, no movie is complete without snacks. We purchased a movie theater popcorn maker and it changed the game for outdoor movie watching for us. Plus, whenever we are craving movie theater popcorn, Joe brings it out and makes some for the whole family. We don’t just use regular kernels either, we purchase special packets that give you the exact popcorn you get at the theater. We love to eat the popcorn from the cups you get at the theater to keep it real.

You can’t have popcorn without candy, so we purchase some favorite movie night candies for everyone as well. The snack are always what makes the Outdoor Movie Night feel like an actual night at the theater. It really is the perfect family gathering idea, and you will have all the neighbors joining in as well.

Loungewear For Outdoor Movie Night

The nice thing about doing an Outdoor Movie Night is being able to wear your lounge clothes to watch the movie. I am adding some super comfy loungewear for him and her, and you can also grab some for the kids as well. Since you’re in your back yard, there is no reason to be uncomfortable right?

Now that your Outdoor Movie Night set up is complete, you need to take a photo and share it with me on social media. What movie will be the first family movie you watch? Let me know in the comments. Ours was Dr. Doolittle. I hadn’t watched that movie in so long, it was really cute, I forgot how good it actually is. Have fun, and enjoy your time well spent with the whole family! Even the teenagers will love it.