Edinburgh Film Festival launches drive-in series

Monthly events planned at city airport

by Amber Wilkinson

EIFF and Unique Events previously joined forces for Film Fest in the City
EIFF and Unique Events previously joined forces for Film Fest in the City Photo: Courtesy of EIFF

Edinburgh International Film Festival has announced it is going to hold a monthly drive-in at Edinburgh Airport for the rest of 2020.

The first screening will happen from Friday, August 7 to Sunday, August 9, with the even then running on the last weekend of each month.

The weekends will have four screenings per day, starting with a kids club at 10am, followed by family favourites in the afternoon, an evening blockbuster and a late night cult lassic. There will be special Halloween and Christmas screenings and activities in October and December. The films will be shown on a state of the art 100sqm LED screen with the audio broadcast straight to car radios, for audiences to control the soundtrack.

Pre-film activity will help to keep people entertained before the movie starts with on-screen movie quizzes, car discos, competitions and giveaways. Cinema food and snacks will be available to order and purchase pre-event and collected on arrival.

With cars parked 2m apart Drive-In Movies will be a safe environment for families and friends to enjoy an event, in line with government guidelines for outdoor events. Standard tickets are expected to be priced at £35 per vehicle for up to five people, with a number of tickets being made available to EIFF’s community partners. Films will be captioned where possible.

Ken Hay, Chief Executive of Edinburgh International Film Festival said: “We’re delighted we’ve found a way to bring some great films to Edinburgh audiences despite the challenges we currently face. It’s not the Festival as we know it but still a way to bring a part of it to life this year. Film Fest in the City has been a very popular part of the Festival in recent years and working with Unique Events again we hope to be able to create that fun atmosphere at our new airport based Drive-In Movies starting with two fantastic weekends in August.”

A spokesperson for Unique Events, which previously partnered with EIFF for Film Fest in the City and will deliver the screenings, said: “We’re thrilled to be producing this brand-new event for Edinburgh and continuing our successful partnership with EIFF to deliver another exhilarating outdoor cinema experience. Each month, the Drive-In Movies will let audiences get-away from it all, with a packed programme of classic cinema in a fun, safe environment for family and friends, whilst supporting local businesses and events.”

Gordon Dewar, Chief Executive of Edinburgh Airport said: “Edinburgh is world renowned for its festivals and although things are a bit different at the moment, it’s important we all try to provide and hold on to little bits of normality where we can. We know that people are missing things they love to do such as heading off on holiday or trips to the cinema, so we are more than happy to try and provide a bit of both in one night.

“We’re looking forward to working with the EIFF and Unique to make this a success and see the Edinburgh Airport Drive-In really take-off.”

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