Self-Propelled Cinema

This article was published with “Cinema Under the Stars”—a look at the resurgence of drive-in theaters.

The drive-in theater has nostalgic appeal, but it also means watching flicks cramped inside a car—so why not seize the best of both worlds this summer and take part in a growing green phenomenon: the bike-in movie. There aren’t bike-in theaters, per se, but one-shot showings and short series of bike-in films have been cropping up all across the United States. The concept is simple: Grab your bike, a blanket, and a snack, and head out at dusk to take in some cinema. Some events—like Portland, Oregon’s Mystery Movie Ride or Austin, Texas’ Nomadic Cinema—have a guerrilla feel, projecting films on buildings or luring riders to top-secret locations. Others, such as New Belgium Brewery’s Bike-In Cinema series, held in front of the Fort Collins, Colorado, brewery, are more official events. Check your local media outlets for listings, or finagle a projector and stage your own bike-in film.