With COVID-19 becoming a pandemic it was inevitable for the entertainment industry to take a major fall, however they seem to bring back an old tradition for the sake of social distancing: drive in cinemas and concerts. Once the center of attention of 1950’s drive-ins might have the biggest comeback of the summer. Since everyone is trapped inside their houses and seeking alternatives to spend time, this might be a win-win situation for both the society and the entertainment industry. This way people can go outside without interacting with anyone yet being a part of a social activity. 

 

One of the examples of this movement is the Vilnius Airport in Lithuania. They utilized empty airport parking lots and transformed them into drive-in cinemas. So far it has been a huge success for Lithuania and set an example for others to follow. Drive-in cinemas also took place in Iran and İzmir. The İzmir cinema had a capacity of 750 cars and the tickets were free of charge. People who joined were able to listen to the movie through a given radio frequency which was suitable for all to hear. 

 

On the other hand, artists saw an opportunity in drive-ins and started giving drive-in concerts. Currently the US and Denmark are leading the way. Singer Mads Langer performed in the city of Aarhus and seemed to be quite pleasant with the outcome as he shared an Instagram post and captioned it “That feeling when you reunite with your audience all though they were sitting safely in their cars”. The concert ran smoothly and now he has 5 more performances planned located in different cities. Moreover, in Tennessee Rolling Stones member Keith Urban gave a drive in concert for healthcare workers. Another American artist, Marc Rebillet, announced a drive-in concert tour within several states in the US. With more and more people being a part of the drive-in movement it is clear to say that this might be our new summer event.

 

As someone who cannot wait for the quarantine to be over I feel like drive-ins are a perfect way to share an experience with others without risking lives. Even though this is not our priority at the moment I hope that Istanbul will become a city that hosts such events.