While cinemas remain closed due to COVID, arts organizations and companies are looking for new features for events. The solution for the California Center for the Arts, Escondido (CCAE) is to create a drive-in at the Westfield North County Mall.
California Center for the Arts, Escondido hit hard through COVID-19. Josie Shepherd, the organization’s chief marketing officer, said the two theaters on her campus may no longer offer live events.
“So drive-in was a concept we had in early March as a way to pivot in our industry,” Shepherd said. “So we had to think about original answers in order to offer other people a social and safe experience. So we went on the drive-in series, presenting live videos and concerts.”
The series began on Friday with the screening of “Grease”, which was sold online in five hours. It is so popular that there will be an additional screening scheduled for August 30. Saturday’s live music concert is also sold out.
The drive-in pop-up is located in Westfield North County, in the former Nordstrom parking lot. There are 3 LED screens for about two hundred cars to have a smart vision. People are allowed to travel in the back of their van or sedan, but are asked to stay in their car footprint. The event’s organizers said other people needed gentle reminders over the weekend, but generally stayed within limits.
To pay attention to the film or concert audio, participants can connect to an AM radio station that uses the Arts Center or decrease their windows to hear the sound of the speakers.
Performing arts director Juliana Crespo organizes all the concerts and selects the films. While veteran movie parks in San Diego, South Bay and Santee basically program new horrors and a recent circle of family dishes, Crespo focuses exclusively on the positive circle of family members and movies with musical themes.
This Thursday, “Dreamgirls” (with Beyonce and Jennifer Hudson) will air with Disney’s “The Princess and the Toad” on Friday and the Motown live concert on Saturday.
For the movies, it’s $50 consistent with the car, which is expensive if you plan to pass alone, but for a circle of relatives of four, it’s about the same as it would have been to move to the theater. And with the cinemas closed, it’s a wonderful opportunity to get everyone out of the house.
The charge of live music concerts will vary by artist. You can also buy a box of snacks in advance and pick it up on site for $20. And in case you’re wondering, yes, there’s what the organizers of the occasion call “high-end portable urinals” with running water. But he brings a hand sanitizer and, of course, a mask.
The CCAE is a non-profit organization and, like many arts organizations, only seeks to find a way to help its network during the pandemic.
“We inspire others to enroll in our organization’s California Arts Center because we are a nonprofit corporation,” Shepherd said. “We are taking credit for this to offer pre-sales benefits to members. In fact, we’ve noticed an increase in membership, which is perfect for our organization.
You can get more data and full schedule on the Arts Center website. If you need to review movie options, check out their Facebook page.
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