We ran an outdoor screening of Hamilton on a cold October night here in Upstate NY, and people showed up with chairs and armfuls of pillows and blankets. Smart move. Hamilton runs 160 minutes, and once the sun went down the temperature dropped fast. By the second act our crew was wishing for something warmer than a hoodie. If you’re heading to a fall show, here’s how to stay warm at an outdoor movie when you’ll be sitting still for two or three hours.
Dress in layers, then add one more
Start with a thermal or long-sleeve base layer. Put a fleece or a heavy sweater over it, and finish with something that blocks the wind. Wear a hat. Bring gloves, even if it feels silly at 6 o’clock.
Your feet sit in cold grass the whole movie, so wool socks and boots beat sneakers every time.
The cold comes up from the ground
This is the one most people miss. You can wear a parka and still shiver if you’re sitting on the lawn, because the ground pulls heat out of you all night. Put something between you and the grass: a foam pad, a folded moving blanket, or a camp mat. It works under a blanket spot, and it works under a low chair too, where it keeps your feet off the cold ground.
Two blankets beat one
Bring a wool or fleece blanket for your legs and a second one to wrap around your shoulders. Covering top and bottom separately means you stay warm when you shift around, and over a two-and-a-half-hour movie, you will shift around.
Small things that help
- Hand and toe warmers. Open them before the movie starts so they’re warm by the time you need them.
- A thermos of hot cocoa, cider, or tea, if the event allows outside drinks. Check the event listing before you pack it.
- Dry clothes and a spare pair of socks. The grass gets damp with dew after dark, and showing up already wet makes a cold night colder.
- A tote or bag to carry blankets in, so they don’t soak up dew before you spread them out.
Leave the heater at home
Please don’t bring a propane heater or anything else that burns fuel or has an open flame. Most public events and venues don’t allow them near a crowd, and a dark lawn full of blankets and kids is no place for one. Heating, if there is any, is up to the organizer and the venue. Your part is layers and blankets.
Before you head out
Upcoming shows are listed on our Public Movie Nights page, along with start times and what each event allows. Keep our Movie Night Guide handy on your phone for the rest of the night-of basics.
If you’re the one putting on the show, our post on outdoor movie nights in cold weather covers the organizer side.
Planning a fall screening for your town or school? Tell us about it.
