Don’t let the event name and marketing fool you, next month’s “PDX Drive-In Movie Spectacular” at the Portland Expo Center (located at end of MAX Yellow Line, I-5 and Marine Drive) welcomes bike-in customers too.
The event invite caught my eye because I’m a huge fan of drive-ins. My family and I have enjoyed several nights in the back of our mini-van at the 99W Drive-In in Newberg. But I’ve always thought it’d be great to have a drive-in with a bunch of bikes instead of cars.
While the folks at the Expo Center have put a strong auto-centric spin on the event, they are also encouraging people to show up on bikes. Here’s more from their press release:
The Portland Expo Center is pairing two of America’s great passions this summer – the automobile and the silver screen. If you grew up going to drive-in movies, you know what a treat it is to travel with your family or date to see a movie in your car. Many think those days are long since gone, but worry not! The Portland Expo Center is creating an authentic drive-in movie experience to be played on a giant screen this summer on Expo’s 53 acre campus! Don’t have a car? Don’t worry, we have special pricing for bikers and those riding transit too!
Advertisement
While folks who show up with a car can listen to the movie via a special FM station, organizers will also have outdoor speakers turned up for those who get their by bike or foot. Tickets are $5 per person if you walk, bike, or take MAX. (It’s $15 per carload and we’ve asked if they’d consider the same rate for per bikeload. We’ll update this post when we hear back.)
Here’s the schedule:
- Thursday, August 13 – The Day the Earth Stood Still
- Friday, August 14 — Ghostbusters
- Saturday, August 15 – American Graffiti
- Thursday, August 20 – Young Frankenstein
- Friday, August 21 – Poltergeist
- Saturday, August 22 – Star Trek II- Wrath of Khan
There’s a major Oregon Department of Transportation underway right now on N Denver Ave and the Columbia Slough path — both of which are the main bicycle access points to the Expo Center. ODOT is supposed to have it completed by fall, but even if it’s not done, we’ll make sure they have a safe and convenient detour in place by August 13th.
Imagine rows of bikes and people wrapped in blankets munching on popcorn under the stars while watching a great movie on a huge screen! Fill your cargo bike bin or trailer with blankets and pillows and mark your calendars for August.
More info and pre-sale tickets at ExpoCenter.org.
UPDATE, July 14th: After asking organizers of this event about ticket pricing for cargo bikes and family bikes, we’ve heard back. They’ve decided to charge just $5 for all bikes – regardless of how many people are on it. You can get tickets online or buy them at the door.