*This post is sponsored by Walmart. Proceeds from this post were donated to Riverbend Cancer Services. Thank you for supporting the companies that support this site and our community!
Have you ever wanted to create your own DIY Outdoor Home Theater?
We have had this on our summer bucket list for years and this summer we decided to finally put together our very own DIY outdoor movie night together with our kids and are sharing it with you today!
There is something truly magical about watching a movie together under the stars and I love that you can do this right in the comfort of your very own backyard.
We partnered with Walmart to show you just how easy it is to host an outdoor movie night of your own.
Now that you know what to buy, here are my tips for hosting your own diy outdoor movie night:
An EASY DIY Set-Up
You don’t need a lot to create a great movie set up.
A simple white sheet (we like to double ours up to get the optimum picture) and some clothespins are exactly what we used to create our set-up.
We simply draped our sheet on our clothesline out back and held it in place with a couple of clothespins.
Anchor the bottom of your sheet with rocks or a brick to hold the sheet in place, particularly on those windy days.
Although there are more expensive screen options that you can purchase, I have found that sheets don’t take up a lot of storage and offer a decent picture for the price. Make sure to iron out those creases to avoid having ripples on this DIY screen- it’s worth the extra step!
Get a Great Picture (and Sound)
Your biggest investment in your outdoor movies will be your projector although Walmart does offer several affordable choices (check out this budget-friendly option for just $113.88)!
More than likely, you already have the laptop and with the addition of small external speakers, you will have incredible sound.
We have had our projector for years and take it with us on our trips as a back-up plan for rainy days and we use it at home regularly especially in the winter months.
We were always struggling with sound on ours and we had an ah-ha moment and realized that with the right cable, we could hook the sound up to our daughter’s mini guitar amp.
Now we have sound and we didn’t even have to make a speaker purchase.
This goes to show that you can really think out of the box on creating your own DIY theater for a great picture and sound for your movie night.
Create the Mood
With the humble beginnings of a sheet and some clothespins, I am all about creating a mood.
Consider stringing some outdoor lights up and around your movie screen to really create the movie magic for the night.
I have always found that twinkle lights take everything up a notch when outdoor entertaining and are less than $20 a strand. It’s an affordable luxury for really creating the mood!
Comfy seating keeps your guests in their seat longer (although running around the yard while the movie is playing is totally required!).
Add some blankets to the ground and some comfy outdoor pillows (I love these from BHG at Walmart).
Consider also gathering your patio furniture around to keep things cozy for the adults in the crowd!
Bring On the Snacks
You can’t watch the movie without POPCORN!
Take your popcorn game up a level and craft up a popcorn bar for your guests. Fill trifle containers with popcorn (don’t forget your scoopers!) and then fill ramekins with candy treats, marshmallows, and other fun mix-ins for you guests.
To make the treat more interactive (while you are waiting for it to get dark), you can have a table for decorating paper bags with stamps, markers, and decorative scissors for cutting a pretty scalloped edge.
Have kids create their own popcorn bags and fill them with their favorite combination of treats.
For older guests, the party section of the store offers a variety of fun containers you can use for your snacks.
I am also a big fan of the reusable insulated solo cup for outdoor drinks and a perfectly sized popcorn bucket.
We found these in the outdoor section of our store.
For drinks, I am a BIG fan of using an inexpensive outdoor flower box for your soda drinks.
Isn’t this a fun way to bring drinks to the table?
Retro sodas and paper straws are always a hit with my kids.
Center this on your picnic table for easy grabbing!
Here is our movie screen once it was dark.
As you can see, even with a tiny projector, you have a pretty great picture on your sheet.
We found adjusting the bricks to pull out any wrinkling, made a dramatic difference in the projection of our show.
Our first movie night we caught, “Little Rascals!”
The kids ran around like crazy, catching glimpses between games of hide and seek.
At the end of the night, it ended up just being me and my Dad, sitting side by side in two chairs, finishing out the show together.
We both agreed, that was pretty darn sweet.
There is certainly something so magical about an outdoor movie and we hope we have inspired you for a night of your own!
Reservations to our movie theater are highly recommended.
We encourage you to dial our yellow phone to hold your seat!
We would like to say a big thank you to Mallory Dzierla Schoenle of Copycat-Design for sharing her talent with the Riverbend Cancer Services.
We purchased her beautiful donation of this handmade lemonade stand to help support the cause and transformed it into a popcorn stand for the evening festivities.
Mallory is a big giver in our community and as a DIY girl myself, I can see the labor of love that goes into each of her projects.
You can check out her Facebook page or her website for more information about her beautiful pieces!
For more fun summer activities, check out this page of great ideas! Have you ever hosted an outdoor movie night? Please share your tricks and tips here for a fun night with the family!
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