Halifax’s new drive-in movie theatre prepares for first screening

Keeping Up: Speedway Drive-In Halifax is about to become home to the largest drive-in theatre in Atlantic Canada.

The largest drive-in movie theatre east of Montreal is one day away from opening.

The new Speedway Drive-in will be located in the grandstand parking lot at Scotia Speedworld, near the Halifax Stanfield International Airport, and is expected to be one of the region's newest hotspots.

"We thought Halifax needs one and started to scout out locations, and we saw the Speedway and we went to them and they were so receptive," said Dawn Mckelvie Cyr, with Cindicom Cinema Services.

The lot will hold up to 600 vehicles and a large, pop-up screen. Moviegoers will tune in to 88.7 FM.

"We call this an open-air cinema, so it's a synthetic nylon on the outside and it's inflatable," said McKelvie Cyr. "It's (the screen) about 40 by 60 feet. It's pretty big and once you have it established on the ground, one person can blow it up and then it just comes down on its own."

The Speedway Drive-in will play two new release movies a night, though it could host some “retro weekends.”

"We're seven-days a week, rain or shine," said McKelvie Cyr.

Tickets for the drive-in can be purchased on-site or in advance through the drive-in's Facebook page or Scotia Speedworld's website.

"Top Gun: Maverick" will be the first movie shown at the pop-up drive-in when it opens Saturday night, followed by "The Lost City."

"We get movies on release, which is what's special about the drive-in," said McKelvie Cyr. "So, if it's in the Cineplex, we have it too."

The Speedway Drive-in will also offer staple concessions like buttered popcorn, nachos, chocolate and candy, as well as hot food like hamburgers, chicken fingers and fries.

McKelvie Cyr says the response from the community has already been overwhelming.

"I got a message from someone thanking me for starting the drive-in," she said. "They have a six-week old baby, and he said, 'It would be a very long time before my wife and I could go out to a movie together and this is perfect.'"

Adults pay $15, children 14 and under pay $7.50 and kids under six get in free.

Tuesday is cheap night, with an $11 fee for adults, $18 for couples and $6 for children 14 and under. A carload will cost $40.

Nova Scotia is home to three other drive-in theatres, in the Annapolis Valley, Cape Breton, and Pictou County.