Summer movies in the park are awesome, no doubt — but finding a spot for you and your buds to spread out the blanket and still be able to see the screen can be a pain. Add in the fact you’re likely schlepping a heavy cooler full of drinks back and forth to the park every weekend, and you may want an option for a fun summer hang that’s a little more relaxing for a little less effort.
Why not create your own backyard projector setup and watch whatever you want instead? Just follow these five steps and, with a little help from Walmart, you can create a movie-in-the-park vibe with some pretty sweet home-court advantages, like a stocked fridge that’s steps away and a great view of the screen no matter where you’re sitting.
1. Get a big-screen streaming machine
The first thing you’ll need for your backyard movie nights is a good projector. Forget about the old-school projector stashed in your parent’s attic that you used to watch home movies on when you were a kid, you want one that you can connect to your laptop or gaming console with an HDMI cord. This one(opens in a new tab) supports a whopping 1080p resolution, which is ideal for all those high-detail fight scenes, and it comes with a 100-inch screen, because projecting a grown up flick on one of your childhood bed sheets simply won’t do.
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2. Make every seat a VIP seat
If you expect your guests to sit in ratty old camping chairs for your summer blockbuster premieres, think again. Invest in some swanky backyard furniture where you can kick back and put your feet up like adults. This sofa lounger(opens in a new tab) is as comfy as the sofa in your living room, but it will weather those fickle summer showers like a champ. It also comes with two tables for your takeout pizza boxes and cold bevs. It almost makes your days of schlepping it to the park feel like slumming.
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3. Immerse yourself in big sound
We’ve all watched movies on our laptop before and the speakers pretty much suck, right? If you want to seriously immerse yourself in your favorite flicks, which you do, you’ll need a sound system that includes a Bluetooth speaker, like this one(opens in a new tab). Not only is this speaker waterproof and backyard-ready, but it packs big sound for the price. Get two and place one on each side of your outdoor sofa and feel the world slip away until the credits roll.
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4. Prepare your overflow seating area
Don’t be surprised when your friends and neighbors start showing up on your doorstep once the word gets out about your weekly movie nights. You’ll definitely want to plan ahead and have some overflow seating available and a few of these blankets(opens in a new tab) will do the trick. One blanket fits two adults and two kids and it has stakes so you can secure it to the ground and it won’t blow into the neighbor’s yard. You can also use it for your beach outings in between your movie screenings.
Credit: Walmart / Mashable composite
5. Make your movie concessions the envy of the block
Half the fun of going to the movies is all about your snack selection, right? Because your theater is in your very own backyard, you can upgrade your snack situation to be tastier than the food you get in a real movie theater or have to stand in line to buy at the park. Snag a snack-sized microwave(opens in a new tab) and make a big batch of kettle popcorn, some frozen veggie pizza, and platters of cheesy nachos to keep the crowds happy. Next, stock your fridge with cold bevs — even better, place a cooler outside so you don’t have to run back and forth and block the screen — and then all you have to do is wait for the sun to go down and let your very own backyard summer movie festival begin.
Credit: Walmart / Mashable composite
