Can you believe it’s almost the 4th of July!? As I’ve mentioned before, the 4th of July is one of my favorite holidays. I love being outside enjoying the warm summer weather, celebrating with friends and family, and of course fireworks. This 4th of July is shaping up to be a little different with COVID-19 restrictions, but I’m determined to make the most of this holiday. I mean we could all use a reason to celebrate right? So, a backyard movie night was a great solution.
I’ve always wanted to try an outdoor movie night with my nephews (they are ages 4 and 2). And, with the holiday approaching plus the long stretch of warm weather in Grand Rapids this seemed like the perfect opportunity. We luckily had a connection to borrowing this projector and screen for our backyard movie night. I did a quick internet search and noticed a few reasonably priced projectors that you could use with a white sheet as a screen. You could also try and bring your TV or even an iPad outside to just enjoy watching a movie outdoors.
Send Invites & Print Tickets
I know you might think I’m crazy to send invites, but hear me out. With everything going on right now, any chance to make something feel special or out-of-the-box is appreciated. I absolutely love using Paperless Post for online invitations. I’ve used Paperless Post for my backyard Italy party, engagement party and birthday party. For this outdoor movie night I chose a classic design that was easy to customize and matched our theme.
I also printed some tickets that I could use for admission to our backyard movie night. My nephews were so excited to have their own movie tickets, and it really made the night feel like a special event. This might seem a little “extra” or “not necessary” but trust me the kids really enjoyed it.
Setting Up The Backyard
Since my nephews are pretty young I knew their attention span would be short and sweet. We set up our Apple TV with the projector so we had an endless amount of movie options. My nephews picked Minions which was perfect for some laughter and easy watching outside. I obviously picked Parent Trap to watch as a double feature.
Everyone who came brought their own chairs, but we also provided some extra chairs. I also set-up a few cozy outdoor blankets with outdoor pillows to make it comfortable to watch the movie. The kids LOVED sitting on the blankets and using the pillows.
Concession Stand Must-Haves
You can’t watch a movie and not have popcorn. Luckily, Grand Rapids Popcorn was gracious to partner with me on this outdoor movie night by providing popcorn. Their butter popcorn is the absolute best paired with a movie and using some of the popcorn seasonings. My nephews had so much fun creating new flavors on their popcorn with seasonings like dill pickle, white cheddar, chili limon, and cheesy caramel. I think the dill pickle and chili limon seasonings were the biggest hit.
To make it feel like we were actually at the movies, Grand Rapids Popcorn also provided these fun popcorn boxes. These boxes were perfect for giving everyone their own individual popcorn instead of reaching hands in a communal bowl.
Movie theater boxed candy was also a must for this outdoor movie night. I got some assorted candies that I knew everyone loved including Good & Plenty, Sour Patch Kids, Nerds, Junior Mints, Skittles and Haribo Gummy Bears. The candy was a huge hit with my nephews who wanted to try every type of candy.
4th of July Add-Ons
If you decide to throw a backyard movie party for 4th of July here are some special add-ons to make it a true celebration. Grand Rapids Popcorn provided their Americana popcorn that’s so delicious and fun for the 4th of July. This popcorn is a blend of popping cherry, creamy vanilla and banging blueberry flavors. I also bought some sparklers and pop-its for my nephews and they had such a fun time with these after the movie.
This backyard movie night was a great way to spend time with family, enjoy the warm weather and try something new. We had so much fun making memories together and celebrating the 4th of July. A huge thank you to Grand Rapids Popcorn Company for providing all the popcorn!
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