Outdoor Movie Theater Setup – I wanted to share our entire outdoor film setup. I bought everything for this summer, but we barely used it because it stayed light outside for so long. I was pictured doing movies outside all summer but with 9 pm my bedtime it wasn’t going to happen ? (#grandma). instead, it turns out to be a blessing in disguise for winter! It’s a bit cooler than I envisioned our movie nights, but there are no bugs and the sun is setting earlier and earlier so it’s working in our favor.
We still don’t feel comfortable having people over, so it’s also been a great outdoor activity when we have friends over. We can barbecue, light the fire, and put on a movie or a football game.
Outdoor Movie Theater Setup
When I started looking for projectors I realized just how many options there are and how many directions you can go. Don’t want to spend thousands on an outdoor projector. From what I gathered, I wanted better than “good enough” but didn’t need a professional theater quality either.
My Outdoor Movie Theater Setup
EXTENSION CORD with 3 POGS (to plug in projector, though it has about two hours of battery life if you want to give up plugging in)
We have a spare Apple TV from my old apartment and it’s the perfect thing to use to stream whatever we want to watch. It is connected to the projector with an HDMI cable. You can tether it to your phone and use data to stream, but our backyard always gets WiFi so we just connect to our home network and power like we would inside the house. Netflix, Disney +, Hulu, ESPN, etc. I can even mirror my iPhone if I wanted to play videos from my camera roll or whatever.
The projector also has a built in audio which is surprisingly very good. Even still, I connect a portable speaker via Bluetooth so that we can have the speaker closer to where we end up sitting (so it doesn’t have to be loud). I even connected headphones via Bluetooth so it’s not loud during the week for the neighbors.
The biggest key, next to the actual projector, is the screen. I thought it would be fun and beautiful to hang a leaf … it ended up just being such a hassle every time we wanted to look at something and it turned into a deterrent. I bought this jumbo screen and, wow, it’s worth every penny!!! It CREATES the moviegoing experience, no question. It was way, way bigger than I expected, though I’m not sure what I was expecting when they labeled it as “jumbo.” Super easy to set up and just make it a 10 out of 10 experience.
How To Host A Backyard Movie Night
The only thing missing? Popcorn, s’mores ingredients, and maybe a candy charcuterie board. I know we’re not the only ones trying to get creative with friends and family as we head into the winter months during a pandemic… and I know we’re not the only ones looking to start new traditions either! Have a backyard movie night this summer. A fun and easy way to create your own blockbuster event.
This summer one of our favorite things to do is set up an outdoor movie night. There is something so magical about watching a movie under the stars!
You can do this as a fun family night or set it up for a party with your neighbors. It’s a great alternative to going to the movies, and more fun in my opinion!!
If you’re looking for more outdoor activities this summer, be sure to check out these fun ideas!
How To Set Up Your Own Outdoor Home Theater
It is really easier then you would think to get this set up in your yard. You really only need a few essentials!
You can buy an outdoor projector screen, or you can easily hang a white sheet. If you hang a white sheet, use a wire and tie it between two trees, your fence, or use two poles. To secure the leaf to the wire use pegs to attach the leaf. Secure the leaf on the ground with stones to prevent it from blowing in the wind.
If you’re looking to buy an outdoor projector screen, I’ve linked some of the top rated ones below.
Fairy lights are perfect because they provide enough light but allow it to be dark enough so that you can still see the screen. We just huddled between the trees and the arbor – zig zagging back and forth across the yard. You can also add flameless candles and lanterns too!
Backyard Family Outdoor Movie Night With Kids • Run Wild My Child
Use pillows, benches, bean bags, and chairs to sit on. You can also choose to put blankets instead and forgo a typical chair.
Place rugs, blankets, ottomans, floor cushions, pillows and everything you have to make your movie night cozy. The cozier.. the better!!!
You will have to wait until it gets dark to be able to see the projection on the sheet so can’t do it until the sun goes down. If you don’t have a projector, I’ve linked some top ones on Amazon. You can rent movies from Netflix or Amazon to project on the screen. We watched Enchanted and Marry Poppins!
What’s a movie night without the concessions anyway? Popcorn along with your favorite movie candy is the way to go! We also love setting up a Crunchy Rice Rollers dessert station complete with all the fun toppings!
How To Set Up An Outdoor Movie Night For Kids
Let me know if you set up a movie night outside this summer! Please tag me on instagram @. I would love to see it!He LOVES movies, plus we wanted more fun ways to spend time together as a family at home, so it felt like a really fun investment.
We had the best time using it all summer; we had Bart’s whole family over for a movie night at the end of the summer, we moved several of our weekly Friday movie nights outside, and Ella invited some friends over for a birthday movie night.
We even took it to Bear Lake for my family reunion and put it in the yard after the kids went to bed!
Now that the weather is finally warming up, we’re excited to start using it again!
Inspiration #59: Outdoor Movie Night
If you’re in the market for an outdoor movie projector and screen, here’s a summary of what we have:
VANKYO projector. This is our main outdoor project – it’s brighter so we can start a bit earlier (but to be honest, almost any projector that doesn’t cost a fortune will require a fair amount of dimness). You will also need to hook it up to a speaker system with a DVD player or laptop or phone. (The exact projector we have is not currently available, but the one linked is similar and has excellent reviews.)
Inflatable projection screen. We have the largest one and there is also a 14 foot one. They fold surprisingly small and are very easy to set up. The fan needs to stay on all the time, so you will need an electricity source (eg an extension cord). The fan is quiet and we didn’t notice it at all.
Bluetooth speaker. The first time we filmed outside, we used our Bose bluetooth speaker and it just wasn’t loud enough. We ordered these 15 inches and it makes for a more enjoyable audio experience. (We always deal with them away from our neighbors house and they never complain about it).
Backyard Movie Night At Home For Summer
Google Chromecast. We have one of these for each of our TVs and we LOVE it – it makes it so easy to cast anything from your phone to your TV.
Fold the table. You’ll definitely want a table to put the project on (and a small speaker if you’re using one). We just have an inexpensive one and it’s nice to have a central place to keep not only the projector, but also snacks, bug spray, water, and other miscellaneous items. The best outdoor projector screens, movie projectors, and streaming devices to set up a. movie night in the backyard for less than $400.
Now that the temperatures are cooling in the evenings, we’ve started one of our favorite fall traditions again this year: backyard movie night!
Last year, when I shared how we made a DIY outdoor projector screen using just a cheap shower curtain on our back porch, I had a ton of messages asking for details on our outdoor movie projector screen. set up
A Backyard Movie Night
Since last year, I have done a lot more research on projectors and outdoor projector screens to determine which one is the best for our money. And I managed to pull together an excellent quality movie experience for about $ 400!
There are several outdoor-rated projectors designed specifically for the elements, some even with solar power capabilities.
But not a single projector I found was less than $600, and I just can’t see spending that steep amount of money for a