*Compensation was provided by Orville Redenbacher’s Popcorn via Mode Media
Have you ever had an outdoor movie night party? They are SO much fun. It’s the perfect family activity and doesn’t have to be relegated to summer! Early fall is the perfect time to pick your favorite movie and plan a watching party held right in your own backyard! Today I’m sharing tips on how you can host your own movie night!
I love a good themed party, don’t you? Of course your party details can be based on the movie you’re watching, but I decided to play up the idea of keeping quiet and watching the movie and used a super cute eye illustration as the main graphic for the party. I printed out really simple tickets for the kids to make it even more of an event. Kids like to be involved in our parties so I gave one kid the job of passing out the tickets and another the task of punching them as the kids took their seat on the lawn. 
I try to stay away from sodas, even at my parties, so instead I set up a DIY lemonade bar. This is a great way to give kids a choice and encourage them to try new things. I used a store-bought lemonade as the base and set out fresh herbs and berries for them to add. 
You do NOT need a large white wall to show the movie on! All you need is a large white sheet or piece of fabric and you’re all set! For this party, we used safety pins to attach a sheet to the vine plant on the back wall. Simple as that! And if you don’t have your own projector (which I highly encourage you to get!) you can usually rent one from a local audio/visual company. 
You can’t show a movie without popcorn! Orville Redenbacher’s Popcorn Movie Theater Butter is THE flavor to get for your party. This popcorn is a family favorite and is a favorite of mine because of how fast it is to prepare! Warm popcorn is one of the best snacks ever! It’s light and fluffy and is perfect anytime! 
For our movie night party, we set out the popcorn and a few other toppers so the kids could create their own snack mix. We kept the items sweet (like the eye candies, which help us to weave our theme throughout the snacks, and mini chocolate chips) and salty (bacon bits), and let the kids mix them up however they liked. 
I made these cute little paper trays for each kid to make their snack mix in. I fell in love with the eye illustration when I found it on my friend Megan’s website and was so excited when she said I could use it for this party! I think it’s the PERFECT movie watching symbol. 
I used a large picture frame, which I filled in with a piece of wrapping paper, as a tray for the kids to set their snacks on so that we wouldn’t have to worry about the spill hazard of placing cups on uneven grass. It does have a glass face, so I did remind them not to step on it. And more eyes! I just glued on some googley eyes to a glassine bag and made little pouches for fresh veggies. 
You can easily use household blankets, but, for our outdoor movie party, I picked up an inexpensive drop cloth from the local hardware store. I like to use drop cloths because some (not all!) have a thin plastic coating on the bottom which helps to keep any moisture from the grass from seeping through. I updated it with a gentle reminder to stay quiet with some stencils and spray paint. Shhhhh! 
The party we had with the cousins was so much fun! The kids loved that they got to spend time with family, and of course, popcorn. Popcorn makes everyone happy. 
It really doesn’t matter what movie you show. An outdoor movie night is exciting and different and the kids will love it! 
Make sure you put out a few extra blankets so the kids don’t get chilly. You can have a movie night well in to winter (especially in California!). Of course all the little details of the party were fun to do but really all you need for a successful movie night is the popcorn. And Orville Redenbacher’s Popcorn has you covered. It’s #PopcornPartyTime
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