Standing an apparent six stories high and topped with a many-pointed star, the West Wind Drive-In’s sign beckons with neon lettering, “THEATRE.” Turning our car in and pulling up to the ticket booth, we pass under lightbulb-lined parabolas jutting out of the concrete like portals to a simpler time.
A friendly attendant welcomes us and scans a QR code that was emailed to me when I bought the tickets online ($7.50-$10.25 for adults). She hands me a piece of paper that says our lot number and the FM station we can tune into for our movie’s audio. No downloading an app required, just the good, old-fashioned radio.
We follow cones and signs to our massive screen and pull into a parking spot. With the front wheels perched atop a berm in the pavement, the windshield is raised to a perfect, movie-viewing angle. We roll down the windows, kill the engine and get comfortable.
A summer breeze carries the cooling air as the last bits of pink and purple sunset melt into the night. Helicopters duck behind the screen and land at the adjacent North Las Vegas airport like roosting birds. Families pile out of their cars and build camp with lawn chairs and coolers. Some back into spots and open their trunks, revealing full mattresses inside. Kids run around, returning only to ask for a little money for the snack bar and arcade games.
When the projector flicks on, we all tune in—each in our own capsules, and yet in community, quietly reveling in the entertainment of cinema under the stars.
Bring snacks
Concessions are available at West Wind’s snack bar, but if you’re trying to save a few bucks, why not bring your own picnic? Pre-popped popcorn and pretzels are good staples, as well as candy that won’t melt (leave the chocolate at home). Coolers are essential for drinks—icy delights on a hot night.
Get comfy
Come early to get a good spot. West Wind’s drive-in has clearly marked parking and berms toward the front of each parking spot, angling the car up toward the screen. Sit back and watch through your front windshield, or back into a spot and set up around your open trunk. There’s no one way to recline.
Hear us out
Full transparency, the image and sound quality of the drive-in just can’t measure up to a proper indoor movie theater. But with the drive-in experience, you save some money and you gain so much—being able to scream at full volume at that jump scare, for instance, or having a conversation about the movie in real time.
WEST WIND DRIVE-IN 4150 W. Carey Ave., 702-646-3565, westwinddi.com.
Poolside Movies
The Cosmopolitan’s rooftop pool escape is playing movies every Monday through August on the resort’s 64-foot digital marquee. Parking is free with validation. Through Labor Day, The Pool at Sahara is projecting films on its 240-foot LED video wall. And through September, Fontainebleau is screening classic comedies, blockbusters and family favorites every Sunday at its six-acre Oasis Pool deck ($5 admission for locals).
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