Dive-In Movie Night: Patio pool and Projector

 

Sure in the summertime you can hike and camp at night, glamp in your backyard, but what if you just want to step outside your own door and enjoy your own space?

I used to have a swimming pool and I would invite friends over, project a movie on the wall of the house, and we'd float around the pool on rafts with a raft that held snacks. I called them dive-in parties.

For very little money you can create a simpler version on your patio. 

inflatable pool 

($44 Amazon) 

This pool above is what I have on my patio now. I like it because it's big enough to lay out and float, but has this fantastic comfy bench to sit and watch movies. I use rock salt and a touch of bleach in it just to keep it fresh enough to not build up algae quickly, though you can purchase an inflatable pool-sized pump for it and a Jacuzzi starter chemical kit. 

projector

(bluetooth/dvd/laptop/phone)

(Amazon $189.98)

What I love about having a projector, besides being able to show movies in any room on any wall or outdoors, is using them to project AtmosFX Halloween and Christmas holographic videos into your front window for holiday time (something no one can steal from your yard).  If you don't want to commit to a screen, hang a sheet against the wall of the house.

120" pull down screen

            (Amazon $66.89) 

The screen and projector make it possible for the kids to watch movies in a slumber party room, a large holiday crowd can watch video you shot and edited, outdoors in the backyard for a bonfire evening, and more!

What do you serve when you do a dive-in party? 

For a cocktail, I'd do a Margarita or a Blue Hawaii (curacao, vodka, rum, and pineapple juice) and on the rim of the glass, use a  gummy shark with a slit in its belly to sit on the rim.

gummy sharks

(Amazon $8.99)

Beers include - Crabbies Ginger Beer, Coronas with lime, Longboard, pale ale.

Kid-friendly drinks - once again, utilize the blue gummy sharks and make a punch with blue raspberry Kool-Aid and pineapple juice.

 What movies? 

I'll give you some category suggestions so you can choose the right marathon for your needs. 

SUSPENSE:  Half Light, Dead Calm, Castaway, The River Wild, Below, The Deep, The Beach House, The Perfect Getaway, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Beach.

HORROR:  Jaws, Ghost Ship, Piranha, Lost Voyage, Death Ship, Uninhabited, The Fog, I Still Know What You Did Last Summer.

FAMILY:  Swiss Family Robinson, Moana, Shark Tale, Finding Dory, Finding Nemo, Free Willy, Luca, Aquamarine.

COMEDY:  Captain Ron, Fool's Gold, Summer Rental, Just Go With It, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Couples Retreat, Mamma Mia, The Other Woman, 50 First Dates.

SCIFI:  The Abyss, Creature From the Black Lagoon, Triangle, Leviathon, Deep Rising, Below, Sphere, 

SNACKS

(try to make it easy to eat in the pool)

shrimp cocktail 

(use shot glass for cocktail sauce and hang shrimp over rim into the sauce)

Chex mix

salted peanuts

goldfish crackers

clam chowder

(in a coffee mug with goldfish crackers atop it)

tomato soup 

(in a shot glass with a sliver of grilled cheese dipped in)

crudites

(shot glasses with ranch dressing and straw cut veggies standing up in it)

saltwater taffy

popcorn

popsicles

fruit kabobs

🐠🐠🐠

ENJOY!!