The five essential items you need for a visit to the drive-in

We know you can’t wait to head down to see a movie. However, one does not spontaneously go to the drive-in for a movie. There are essential items we recommend taking so you can reach the ultimate status of an outdoor moviegoer and live the gold class life from the thrill of the driver's seat.

Here are the five things that you should take to the drive-in cinemas to ensure maximum enjoyment.

No movie is complete without some popcorn and Maltesers (preferably combined). A quick trip to the supermarket en route will mean that you’re well equipped to satisfy all your snacking needs. One of each snack category is usually the safest plan e.g. one chewy, one crunchy and one sweet. We suggest you have a salad for lunch on the day of your outing due to the dietary intake recommendations authorised by our government. We have some DIY drive-in snack recipes for you to try out here.

To ensure maximum cosiness we encourage, nay demand that you pack some pillows and the fluffiest blankets you can find. ‘The more the merrier’ is the motto to adopt when stuffing pillows into the back of your car. You’ll be grateful for the extra blankets too when that late-night frost starts settling into the night while your car is turned off for safety and fuel saving reasons.

A cup of hot tea is the real cherry on top of your film viewing experience, especially in the winter. All you need is a thermos, a couple of reusable coffee cups and some instant coffee or tea bags. Take appropriate precautions to avoid spilling said drinks on your lush blankets or even worse, your lap. While drinking hot tea or coffee at an indoor cinema is just strange, for some reason drinking it in your car is perfectly fine.

One of the bonuses of choosing the drive-in cinema as your date night activity is that there is absolutely no need for you to dress up. You can don your oldest and most worn out pair of Bonds trackies and you’ll blend into the bathroom crowd queue seamlessly. Comfort is key, so dress to de-stress.

If your car is a little older or in the event that you accidentally leave your low-light headlights on, it’s always a good idea to have some jumper cables in the car. You’ll be able to watch your movie with the peace of mind that you’ll be making your way home after those final credits start rolling. You can always take the risk and forgo the leads but be warned that if your trackies are really shabby, you will get some judgmental looks as you frantically hunt around for a staff member amongst the bathroom crowds.

By packing your car up with these essential drive-in items we can assure you that a superb time will be had by all. Unless of course you accidentally drive into the wrong cinema and spend the first 20 minutes of your film searching for the correct radio frequency. This definitely hasn’t happened to any of us and said guilty culprit certainly didn’t have to go find a staff member for assistance...

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