"Car-Baret” and 6 Other Drive-In Events Across the U.S to Check Out This Summer

“What’s old is new again” has taken on new meaning during the coronavirus pandemic. Tie-dying everything, Depression-era recipes like peanut butter bread and crazy chocolate cake, embroidery—all ways to entertain ourselves as we stay at home. But now, as states start to reopen, another pastime of generations past is making a comeback—one that from 2014 to 2018 was widely declared “dead”: the drive-in.

Drive-in theaters have been steadily shuttering since the ‘80s, but now that we’re searching for things to do while maintaining a healthy distance from one another, in the open air, they fill a void that hadn’t existed pre-pandemic. And these days, they’re offering so much more than the latest movie. Event management company Eventbrite has hosted more than 1,000 drive-in events so far this year—more than nine times as many as the same time period in the past two years. Texas, Ohio, Minnesota, Maryland and Connecticut have been hosting the most events, but Eventbrite only expects options across the country to increase this summer, since drive-ins tend to be most popular in August.

Start planning your road trips—here are some of the coolest events taking place across the country.

Calling it Car-a-oke and trivia actually sells this party short. The Parking Lot Social is a three-hour festival you can enjoy from your car, featuring things like bingo, stand-up comedy and variety shows, live music, silent discos (where you can dance around while wearing headphones), and yes, Car-a-oke, a massive sing-along. The show tours all over the country this summer, so you’ll have to visit The Parking Lot Social’s website for exact dates and lineups.

Billing itself as the “world’s first post-pandemic drive-in concert, film and vaudeville experience,” Car-Baret in Richardson, Texas, takes movie night to the next level. An upcoming screening of the trippy, David Bowie and Jennifer Connolly fantasy flick Labyrinth features illusions from a local magician, Confetti Eddie, as well as a “magic dance” (your guess is as good as ours as to what that means). You can also order veggie tacos, kebabs or BBQ from Brizo, the restaurant hosting these parties.