Enderby’s Starlight Drive-in theatre is now the last remaining standalone drive-in cinema in the province.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In September last year, Langley’s Twilight Drive-In aired its last movie, making the North Okanagan the only place in the province with a standalone drive-in movie theatre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Starlight Drive-in is set to open its doors this spring for its 24th season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The much-loved outdoor cinema opened its doors in 1996 and has seen a few different owners try to make a go of it until in 2002 Paul Lindquist and two other business partners bought the drive-in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It’s now preparing to open for the season in May and has a selection of Hollywood blockbusters lined up for the big screen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The much-loved Enderby landmark appears to be on quite a different trajectory than that of Langley’s Twilight Drive-In.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 2023, Twilight Drive-In owners announced its forthcoming closure blaming a massive increase in property tax. The Lower Mainland’s sky-high real estate prices saw the 11-acre site in Langley valued at $39 million, according to BC Assessment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Starlight Drive-in sits on Splatsin First Nation land so there’s no BC Assessment property assessment value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The growth of cities is seen as one of the major reasons for the decline of drive-in movie theatres. As cities grew the land was snapped up for real estate and drive-in’s that weren’t developed also now had the issue of increased light pollution. The ambient light was too much for outdoor movie screens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
READ MORE: <\/strong>How Enderby’s Starlight Drive-in has survived in a nearly extinct business<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Sitting a few kilometres outside of town, the Starlight Drive-in has managed to escape the issue of street and city lights affecting its 6,000-square feet screen \u2013 the biggest in North America.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to the New York Film Academy<\/a>, the first patented drive-in movie theatre opened in New Jersey in 1933, although drive-ins had been around for about 20 years prior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Canada’s first drive-in theatre opened in 1946,<\/a> but it’s difficult to get a number for how many there once were across the country in their heyday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It’s thought there were about 4,000 across the U.S. at the height of popularity of which about 300 remain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n