Drive-in cinema coming to Norfolk town for first time in decades
Drive-in cinema nights are coming to North Walsham. File photo. Picture: Robert Powell/Music Art Study - Credit: Archant
A drive-in cinema is coming to a north Norfolk town for what could be the first time in decades.
North Walsham, which has had outdoor cinema nights over the past couple of summers, will this year have a drive-in instead, to make social distancing easier.
The town’s Memorial Park will host the drive-in on July 18 and July 19, with Dirty Dancing to be shown on the Saturday and Top Gun to be shown on the Sunday.
Rob Scammell, organiser, said up to 80 vehicles would be able to attend each screening.
Mr Scammell said: “In the past, we’ve had it ‘picnic in the park’ style, but this year a drive-in is the only way it can be done.
You may also want to watch:
“There hasn’t been much for people to do for months, so this will be something nice for people to enjoy.”
All proceeds will go to the community group North Walsham Play, which wants to raise £185,000 for a new skate park for the town.
Most Read
- 1 Cliff fall warning issued for North Norfolk ahead of Storm Christoph
- 2 Town leaves Christmas lights on throughout January
- 3 Family butcher and livestock market operator dies aged 74
- 4 Timeline: When should you receive the coronavirus vaccine?
- 5 Man who died after falling from cliff took his own life, inquest rules
- 6 Hospital gets a brand new MRI machine
- 7 Armed police detain man after 18 hours of negotiations
- 8 Car dealership volunteers run transport service to Covid jabs
- 9 Store open despite positive Covid test at town centre Sainsbury's
- 10 Where the pines meet the sea on the north Norfolk coast
Mr Scammell said it was the first time he had heard of a drive-in cinema in the town.
He said: “In the 20 years I’ve lived here it’s the first I’ve heard of one.”
People going along will be able to access the films’ sound by tuning into a special frequency on their car radios.
Tickets, for £15 per car, can be booked online at www.ticketsource.co.uk/nwplay. The screenings will start at 9pm.
Mr Scammell said people would also be able order food and drink online, for collection at the event.
Due to the lockdown indoor cinemas have still not been given permission to reopen, so drive-ins are one way people can still see films on a big screen.
Norfolk Showground’s Summer Drive-In Movies will run from Thursday, July 9 to Sunday, July 12.
Across the four days there will be 12 films with daytime screenings on an LED screen an evening films from a projector.
The event has been organised in partnership with Pop Up Pictures, run by Danny Banthorpe and Andrew Bunn, who is also behind Laugh in the Park comedy festival in Norwich, and they have hosted screenings across East Anglia for the last five years.