Watch ‘The Greatest Showman’ at the Drive in This Friday in Edmonton
Catch The Greatest Showman at the Drive-In This Friday
Pyjamas, a back seat full of pillows, and a movie your kids will belt out the whole way home. Horizon Drive-In pops up in Edmonton this Friday, August 14, and the opening feature is The Greatest Showman. Tickets are $15 a person, kids five and under get in free, and nobody cares how loud your four-year-old sings.
Here's what parents need to know before you load up the van.
What's Playing and When
Friday is a double feature. The Greatest Showman goes first, in the early slot, and that's the one for your family. The second film is IT, the 2017 Stephen King adaptation about a child-eating clown. Not a mix-up you want to make in the dark with tired kids in the back seat.
Horizon sets start times by sunset rather than a fixed clock, and they don't publish showtimes far in advance. Sunset in Edmonton on August 14 lands close to 9 PM, so plan on a late start and a later drive home. Check your ticket confirmation for the exact time.
The good news: you are under no obligation to stay for the second movie. Watch The Greatest Showman, wave at the screen, and drive home while everyone's still happy.
What It Costs
$15 per person, per movie. Same price at every age, plus GST and fees.
Kids five and under are free. For a family with two little ones, that's two adult tickets and you're out the door for $30.
The thing that catches people: there's no double-feature pass. Each film is ticketed on its own, so if you did want to stay for both, it's $15 again per person. For a family coming to see The Greatest Showman, you only pay once.
You can buy at the gate with cash, debit or credit, but only if the show hasn't sold out online first. Buying ahead is the safer plan with kids in tow.
Parent Logistics, Sorted
Arrive 30 to 45 minutes early. Parking is first come and a crew sorts you by vehicle type. Show up at showtime and you're in the back row with a van in front of you.
Go to the bathroom before you leave the house. Washrooms on site are portables - meaning a trip outside of the car, all the way to the washroom, and back - which can take a long time with little kids.
The sound comes through your car radio. Bring a battery-powered radio if you'd rather not run the engine for two hours. They sell portable ones at the concession and give free boosts if your battery quits anyway.
Pack the blankets and camp chairs. You can set up outside, but only directly in front of your own vehicle, so the cars beside you still have a view. Trunk facing the screen with the hatch up is the move for a minivan.
Pyjamas. It's a late show and it's a drive-in. This is the entire point.
Leave the cooler at home. Gate admission covers the film licence, so the concession is what actually keeps the drive-in running. Budget for popcorn.
Dogs are welcome, leashed when they're out of the car.
It runs rain or shine. They only cancel for genuinely unsafe weather, and they post it on social media first, so check before you leave.
If Friday Doesn't Work
Horizon comes back to Edmonton for four nights in September, from the 3rd to the 6th, and there's more for families in that run: Jurassic Park and Cars both make the lineup. Same $15 pricing. Tickets are already on sale.
Two hours, one screen, and a car full of kids who'll ask to do it again. Grab your tickets and get there early.
