Summer has officially begun and outdoor movie screenings in LA are in full swing. *For summer 2020 though they are different. When I was making my summer bucket list a couple of weeks ago outdoor movies were at the top of the list. Street Food Cinema Los Angeles has screenings in several different neighborhoods throughout the city that take place almost every weekend. Currently, they have a drive-style series in order to make the event safe.
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Interested in other Outdoor Movie Screenings in LA? You can listen to our podcast episode on the topic & check out this blog post. You can listen to the podcast through Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, Stitcher, or Podbean.
What Is Street Food Cinema?
Street Food Cinema is an outdoor movie screening series that pairs food trucks with classic movies as well as new blockbuster hits. At a few of the screenings cast members of the movie being shown will come to introduce it. Tickets are sold in advance however unless the screenings sell out you can also purchase tickets at the door.
What to Know Before You Go
Since this was my first time going to Street Food Cinema I wasn’t sure what to expect. My first recommendation is to dress much warmer than you think you should. I wore jeans and a long sleeve shirt. Even with my blanket, I was still cold. Though I imagine I was warmer than my friends wearing shorts and a short sleeve t-shirt.
If you bring a chair make sure that it isn’t too tall. One of my friends brought a camping-style chair and a staff member told him he couldn’t use it because it was too tall and would block someone’s view. Chairs cannot be more than six inches off the ground. However, my Tommy Bahama chair I got from Costco ended up being a perfect size. If you want a chair like mine you can find one on Amazon here. The chair is pretty awesome. It has straps so you can wear it like a backpack and it comes with a little cooler, a small neck rest, and a cup holder. You can also rent a chair at the check-in table for $8. Blankets are available for $20.
The food trucks offered a variety of food from tacos to burgers to boba tea. However, food trucks can get expensive very quickly. Since we were there to celebrate Casey’s birthday they gave her a voucher good for $12 to use at one of the trucks. Casey and I ended up splitting some loaded steak fries which were so tasty. We also tried a churro that someone else bought which was even better than the ones at Disneyland.
One thing I did learn though is that you can bring your own food in and that includes alcohol. Some people had quite the set up with little tables and everything. It gave me a few ideas for the next time I come to one of these screenings.
These screenings are very family-friendly, as long as you think the movie is appropriate for everyone. In addition to the screenings being family-friendly, they are also pet-friendly for the most part. Be sure to check out the rules for the actual location of the screening though because there are a couple that doesn’t allow pets.
Before the movie, there was an obstacle course. The person who completed the course in the fastest time won two tickets to the Hollywood Bowl in addition to two tickets to another screening of Street Food Cinema. They also gave out the same prize to the contestant who got the most applause from the crowd.
We watched The Goonies at Brand Library Park in Glendale. Most people, including us, parked in the structure next to the Glendale Library which was the closest parking lot to the venue. It is $9 to park in the structure. If come to a screening here and don’t mind a little bit of a walk you can park for free at the Glendale Galleria.
The screening started at 8:30 pm but the venue opened at 5:30 pm. We arrived close to 5:45 pm and were able to get a spot just behind the reserved section. Honestly, I saw no reason to pay the extra for reserved and would only do it if I was showing up once the screening started.
Would I Recommend Street Food Cinema Los Angeles
Absolutely! I wish it was cheaper because I would go a lot more but it is worth doing at least once every summer.
In October you can watch scary movies at the Million Dollar Theatre in downtown through Cinema Phantasmagoria hosted by Street Food Cinema.
