We wanted to express our sincere gratitude to each and every person who was part of our 6 week pop-up fundraiser, "The Loveland Drive In".  We have received countless compliments from the public and amazing PR around this event. This was a BIG DEAL for Northern Colorado, and we were proud to have served our community.

Some rough estimates worth sharing:
​
In 6 weeks, we were able to....

• Help small businesses bring in about $55,500
• Pay out-of-work Coloradoans about $25,600
• Put over $10,000 back into the national economy
• Give about 6,000 guests a SAFE way to get outdoors
• Provide local tourism opportunity and media publicity about something TO DO in Northern Colorado
• Showcase 64 local businesses and non-profits through advertising and sponsorship opportunities we created
• Showcase and amazing and deserving non-profit does that so much good for Loveland families and students

Thank you for supporting the Thompson Education Foundation and the small businesses who put this fundraiser on.
And thank you for being part of our strong community!
​

Thank you for all the LOVE!  We have had such a great time!  Movies are selling out and we could not be happier to raise money for the Thompson Education Foundation!

Thank you Visit Loveland for your support!

The drive-in runs June 5 through July 12 in the north lot of The Outlets at Loveland. Tickets go on sale June 3.
Drive-In details – how it works: 

• Purchase tickets online at LovelandDriveIn.com. Tickets are a suggested donation of $20 per car with proceeds benefiting TEF and will be released at 7:30 p.m. every Wednesday for the following weekend. 
• Shows run at 9 a.m., 5 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays June 5 – July 12. Movies at 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. are family-friendly movies (Rated G or PG), and the 8:30 p.m. movie will be rated PG-13. 
• The drive-in will select movies based on what is available. 
• Attendees must wear masks at all times when outside of their vehicles. Bathrooms will be available and sanitized regularly. 
• Local food trucks and vendors will be on-site to sell to-go food items to attending families.
• The ability to provide daytime shows comes with innovative LED wall technology.
• ​

The drive-in is a collaboration between My Big Day Marketing and Events and partners Thompson Education Foundation, Visit Loveland, The Outlets at Loveland, and Rythm EFX.

Thank you to the Greeley Tribune for posting an article on NoCo's latest attraction today.

​The Loveland Drive-In, a popup theater event, is set to host a movie series kicking off the weekend of June 5-7 at the Outlets at Loveland, 5661 McWhinney Blvd.
Participants can choose from three different show times — 9 a.m., 5 p.m. or 8:30 p.m.  Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Movies shown at 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. are family friendly and rated G or PG. Movies shown at 8:30 p.m. are rated PG-13. New movies will be shown each week.

Movies will be shown on a large LED wall that is often used in event centers such as Fiddler’s Green Amphitheater and outdoor festivals.
Unlike video projection, the LED wall is capable of competing with the sun, thus allowing for multiple showings throughout the day and evening.
Audio will be broadcast through a radio station in your car or on a portable radio.
While attendees can bring their own food, drinks and snacks, there will be food trucks and vendors onsite. Liquor is not permitted at the event.
Restrooms will be available onsite with lines being regulated. Guests must wear masks when visiting restroom facilities.

Organizers ask that all pets be left at home and shows will go on rain or shine.
Vehicles will be parked according to height in a checkerboard fashion so that views aren’t blocked. Busses, campers, semi-trucks and other non-traditional vehicles are not allowed at the event.
Guests may sit outside their vehicles as long as they maintain social distancing recommendations of 6 feet from other guests. Masks are required for anyone over the age of 2 years sitting outside their vehicle.
​
Audience members are asked to follow all state and local guidelines regarding COVID-19 and remain in their vehicles during the show.
Tickets for the shows are $20 per vehicle and go up for sale online the Wednesday prior to the show date.
In addition to offering a fun and safe entertainment option for the entire family, the event is a fundraiser for the Thompson Education Foundation. Donations are encouraged and appreciated.
For more information on movies, show times, tickets or guidelines, go to www.lovelanddrivein.com.

Thank you Loveland Reporter Herald for covering our announcement:

Next weekend, a drive-in movie theater will open at the Outlets at Loveland.
The pop-up movie theater, which will run three days a week for six weeks, was organized as a way to provide safe entertainment and to boost the Loveland economy.
“I tried to picture what would be a good, safe way for people to reenter this world knowing that tourism wasn’t going to look the same this summer,” said Cindy Mackin, the city’s visitor services manager and the person who came up with the idea. “It’s just so much fun and different.”
Mackin floated the idea at a Loveland Community Marketing Commission meeting and Christine Forster, a member of the commission and a marketing professional, picked it up and ran with the idea.
Forster’s business, My Big Day events, has organized the Loveland Drive-in in partnership with the city, the Thompson Education Foundation and Rhythm EFX.
For six weeks, starting June 5, the pop-up drive-in will offer three showings per day each weekend aimed at attracting families. The two early showings will be family-friendly movies that are rated G or PG, and the latest showing each day will be a PG-13 “date night” type of movie, according to information on the website and from organizers.
The tickets, which will be sold online, are donation-only per carload. The suggested donation is $20 per car. That threshold will cover the costs of operating the theater, including paying the staff. Any profits raised above the costs will go to the Thompson Education Foundation, which supports local schools in a variety of ways.
“We wanted to make it community friendly and benefit one of our favorite nonprofits,” Forster said. “It’s hard to choose, but the Thompson Education Foundation benefits a huge spectrum of kids and families in the community.”
The revenue raised will help the Thompson Education Foundation support students and outstanding education, but the drive-in will help students and their families in another way as well, said Kim Akeley-Charron, executive director of the foundation.
“We’re thrilled to be part of this partnership so we can bring some opportunity to our student families with so many summertime events canceled due to COVID-19,” she said. “This is one opportunity that our students and their families can enjoy.”
With approval from the city of Loveland as well as Larimer County and Colorado Health Department officials and contracts signed, the drive-in is set to open in the parking lot on the north side of the outlet mall on Friday, June 5.
The initial movies have not yet been announced; the website (lovelanddrivein.com) states that movie announcements will be made each Wednesday for the theater’s six-week run.
The chosen movies will be aired on a giant LED screen that will be placed on a trailer. Area business Rhythm EFX offered the “very expensive” technology at a discounted rate, which made the pop-up theater feasible, according to Forster.
“It’s a giant movie screen, not as big as you would see at a traditional drive-in, but it’s all LED panels so you can show a movie in the day,” she explained.
Movies are to be aired at 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., while it is light out, and at either 8 or 8:30 p.m.
The north side of The Outlets at Loveland is seen from the east side of Interstate 25 on Thursdat in east Loveland. (Jenny Sparks / Loveland Reporter-Herald)
Planners looked at 40 different locations for the pop-up theater, taking into consideration issues such as bathrooms, shade and trash pickup as well as room for physical distancing. The Outlets at Loveland fit the bill for all of those factors and is just off a main artery, Forster said.
“The outlets have the space, and they need the foot traffic,” she said.
Peggy Ziglin, director of business development and tourism for Craig Realty Group, which owns the outlet mall, said the venture will draw people to and benefit the mall. But for her, the biggest draw was how it would give something back to the Loveland community.
“This is a huge opportunity for us to get together as a community with what’s going on,” Ziglin said. “At first, I didn’t think about what it is going to do for (the mall). What it is going to do for the community is what is on my mind.”
People have been hit by heartache and hardship with the pandemic, and this will provide a boost to them and to the entire community, Ziglin said, adding, “It’s an opportunity to have a few minutes of happiness and fun.”
While the pop-up theater is not a money-making venture for My Big Day and will instead raise money for the nonprofit Thompson Education Foundation, it also will pump money into the Loveland economy. Forster said estimates are that the venture will result in $20,000 worth of local jobs, $30,000 invested in local small businesses and another $20,000 spent at local restaurants.
Loveland residents seem to embrace the idea. On a Facebook page dedicated to the Loveland Drive-in, a post asked for feedback and whether people would attend. Nearly all of the more than 70 comments were positive, including: “We need outdoor events, and we have great weather” and “I love the idea of an outdoor theater.”
Forster is still working out the final details before next week’s launch. Updated information, including a listing of movies and how to buy tickets, will be posted at lovelanddrivein.com.
Mackin, for one, is excited to see the movies roll.
“I’m glad it’s found a home in Loveland,” she said. “We’re going to give people a return to normalcy.”

We are thrilled to announce our little venture that is a HUGE undertaking by many heartfelt partners!
We care about our community, your family and your well-being. This fundraiser is our way of supporting a deserving non-profit, while offering a safe way to leave our homes and enjoy some 'normalcy.' We hope to see you soon!

The Loveland Drive-In
​A Pop-Up Drive-In Safe Social Event in Loveland, CO
www.LovelandDriveIn.com