Season 17
The Southington Drive-In 2026 Summer Schedule
Seventeen seasons of volunteer-run Saturday-night movies under an open Connecticut sky.
All 15 Saturdays
The movie that taught a whole country to look at the ocean differently.
1975, two hours and four minutes, every one of them earned.
Watch it the way it was meant to be watched: outdoors, windows down, the score coming through the radio.
A love letter to two-lane America written by people who still remembered how to drive one.
2006, an hour and fifty-six minutes, paced like a slow afternoon in Radiator Springs.
Bring the kids. Roll down the windows. Let the dashboard hum along.
A small goat finds out he was built for the wide open court the whole time.
2026, an hour and forty minutes, with Steph Curry in his first voice role.
The kind of underdog story that plays louder under an open sky than a multiplex.
Sword fights, rodents of unusual size, true love. The fairy tale that meant it.
1987, an hour and thirty-eight minutes, written in the rhythm of a grandfather reading aloud.
Watch it the way Fred Savage did, half-believing it's a story being told just for you.
Wax on, wax off. A New Jersey kid learns the only stance that matters.
1984, two hours and six minutes, every roundhouse earned the hard way.
Pack snacks. Roll the windows down. Stand up at the crane kick.
A high school anthem about taking the morning back. Save Ferris.
1986, an hour and forty-three minutes, every truancy form forged on screen.
Watch from the front seat the way Ferris watched everything: like he owned it.
Two Brooklyn plumbers fall down a warp pipe and land in the middle of the biggest video game ever made.
2023, an hour and thirty-two minutes, a love letter to a generation of Nintendo Saturdays.
Drive-in distance is the right distance for a movie this loud and this bright.
Maverick. Goose. Aviators in the chrome. The volleyball scene.
1986, an hour and forty-nine minutes, every G-force earned at sound barrier.
Tune the radio, lean back, let the afterburners come through your dashboard.
Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde are back chasing a pit viper across the prettiest skyline animation has built.
2025, an hour and forty-eight minutes, the highest-grossing animated film ever made.
A bedtime story-sized adventure on a screen the size of a barn.
The hero who taught a whole genre how to fly. Cape, score, John Williams pouring in.
1978, two hours and twenty-three minutes, every red-and-blue frame earned.
Watch the planet save itself the year your parents were sitting in cars like yours.
A super-villain with three orphan daughters and a yellow army that just want to help.
2010, an hour and thirty-five minutes, the start of the Minion empire.
Family-sized comedy on a family-sized screen, the way it was meant to land.
A girl hops into a robot beaver and discovers what the animals were trying to tell us.
2026, an hour and forty-five minutes, Pixar back at the top of its game.
Bring a blanket. The end of summer is the right time for a story about listening.
Summer lovin'. Sandy and Danny and a hand-jive choreographed within an inch of its life.
1978, an hour and fifty minutes, the soundtrack you already know by heart.
Sing along from the parking lot. That is how you watch a musical at a drive-in.
The witches finish what they started. Defying gravity ends here, on a screen this big.
2025, two hours and eighteen minutes, every note Elphaba was holding back the last time.
The musical conclusion you wait until dark for.
An overprotective dad duck, an island family vacation, one wrong turn over Manhattan.
2023, an hour and thirty-two minutes, voiced by Kumail Nanjiani and Elizabeth Banks at full charm.
The last show of the season is a family flying south. Make it your last drive-in night of summer.
Bonus Night
Date Announced in October
2026
Halloween Fest
The annual harvest tradition
After the regular season wraps in September, the lot gets one more night every October. The whole place dresses up, the trunks line up, and the family-friendly feature plays under a chillier sky than the summer reel.
Last year was Hotel Transylvania. This year is a surprise.
- Trunk-or-Treat
- 3-5 PM
- Kids Activities
- 5 PM until sunset
- Feature Film
- At dusk, family-friendly
- Carload
- $20 per vehicle, cash only
- Trunk decorating contest
- Hay rides + pumpkin painting
- Face painting + mini touch-a-truck
- A pre-movie surprise from the lot
Date announced after September 19 final movie.
When You Visit
Visiting the Southington Drive-In: everything you need before you pull in
The Southington Drive-In is a volunteer-run drive-in movie theater at 995 Meriden-Waterbury Turnpike (Route 322) in Southington, Connecticut, one of only three drive-in theaters still running in the state. Movies play Saturday nights from late May through September: gates at 6 PM, showtime at dusk, $20 per carload, cash only. This is an unofficial fan site; the committee's Facebook page is the official channel for weather calls and schedule changes.
- Gates
- Open at 6 PM
- Showtime
- At dark, roughly 30 minutes after sunset
- Carload
- $20 per car, cash only
- Walk-Ins
- $5 each, lawn chairs welcome
- Radio
- TUNE TO 89.9 FM on your real radio when you pull in
- Location
- 995 Meriden-Waterbury Turnpike, Southington, Connecticut
The 2026 season is sponsored by Richard Chevrolet.
Showtimes & Tickets
Gate, tickets, and what to bring
Everything the gate volunteers get asked twenty times a Saturday. If your question isn't here, the official Facebook page is the live source.
What time do the gates open?
Gates open at 6 PM every Saturday from late May through mid-September. The movie starts at dark, roughly thirty minutes after sunset. That puts the actual showtime anywhere from just past 9 PM in the height of summer to about 7:30 PM by the season's last show in September.How much does it cost?
Twenty dollars per carload, five dollars per walk-in with a lawn chair. Cash only at the gate. There is no advance ticketing.How do I hear the movie?
Tune your car radio to 89.9 FM. The drive-in transmits the audio on that frequency throughout the lot. A handheld FM radio works too if you're sitting in a lawn chair.What happens if it rains?
Watch the official Southington Drive-In Facebook page for the cancellation call, which goes up the afternoon of each show. If a Saturday gets canceled, whether the night is added back at the end of the season or skipped outright is also called out there. The Facebook page is the single source. Check it before you leave the house if the weather looks rough.Can I bring outside food?
Yes. Outside food is welcome. No grills, hot plates, or other cooking devices on the lot. The snack bar is still run by the Southington High School DECA Club if you want to support them, and every dollar you spend there funds the chapter.Is there a snack bar?
Yes. The Southington High School DECA Club runs it. Hot dogs, popcorn, soda, candy, the standard summer lineup. Every dollar you spend there funds the chapter's school-year activities.Can I set up lawn chairs or a blanket?
Welcome. Tailgate from the bed of a pickup, set up chairs in front of your bumper, or roll a blanket out on the grass beside your car. Walk-ins with lawn chairs are five dollars each, the cheapest way to see a show.Can I bring my dog?
Service animals welcome. Other pets, please leave at home. The lot gets crowded and dark and the volunteers can't run interference all night.
Find the official lot on Facebook at @officialsouthingtondrivein.
















