New drive-in formats trialled for performances and cinema in Europe

Promoters in European countries are trialling new formats for performances and screenings, which allow for social distancing. In Vilnius, a drive-in cinema has been launched at the now deserted Vilnius Airport. And in Aarhus, a drive-in music concert has been staged, to be followed by drive-in cinema sessions.

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With the pandemic grounding flights across the world and in Lithuania, the organisers of Vilnius International Film Festival saw this downtime as an opportunity to screen films while the movie theatres are closed due to the nationwide quarantine.

Each week, the film programme will take the audience into another continent – Europe, Asia, North and South America.

The screenings will accommodate up to 220 cars and the movies will be shown on a screen roughly the size of a five-storey building. The sound system, on the other hand, has been replaced for in-car radios, just like in traditional drive-in theatres.

The Lithuanian government plans to resume passenger flights in Lithuania in May. As the air traffic will initially be limited, the drive-in cinema and the airport's usual operation should not interfere with each other, according to the organisers.

Read full article: https://www.lrt.lt/en/news-in-english/19/1169330/vilnius-airport-becomes-drive-in-cinema-as-virus-halts-flights

Meanwhile, the Danish city of Aarhus allowed popular singer Mads Langer to perform a drive-thru event at a newly constructed venue just outside the city. 

500 tickets sold out in minutes when the drive-in concert featuring Danish singer-songwriter Mads Langer was announced with just six days’ notice. It was the first in a planned series of drive-in concerts and other events on the hastily erected stage in the outskirts of Aarhus. The following day, the stage became a drive-in cinema.

Image: Danish artist Mads Langer performs at a sold-out drive-in concert at Tangkrogen in Aarhus, Denmark, on April 24, 2020. (Mikkel Berg Pedersen / Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images)

“I've played many concerts in my life, but this is really a first,” said Langer from the stage. During the concert, his performance was transmitted into the cars via FM radio. Concert attendees also had the chance to interact with Langer using the Zoom videoconferencing software.

Read article: https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidnikel/2020/04/29/in-pictures-denmarks-drive-in-venue-gets-around-coronavirus-event-ban/

The P Scenen drive-in outdoor performance space in Tangkrogen in Aarhus is now booking for performances this month of music, cinema and stand up comedy. Take a look: https://pscenen.dk/