Summer movie nights are a fun family tradition, but they can quickly become routine. Before you get bored with your movie night, add in a splash of fun! With summer weather here, it's time to take those movie nights outside and into the pool. It's the perfect time of year to host your own swim-in movie night. Whether it's for a bigger get together or just your family, a swim-in movie night is a fun way to watch your favorite movie. Grab your favorite raft and splash on in!
We opted for an intimate movie night with just our family. We set up a popcorn snack bar and made a boxed dinner that was easy for everyone to grab to eat. I even decorated the area to make it a little more fun. I started with the tiki hut as the backdrop. The tiki hut just snaps together, making for an easy set up. Once assembled I added the raffia top and tied palm fronds to the top and sides. I added the faux palm with gold accents garland along the bottom, using some double sided tape to adhere it to the stand. A few wooden crates in various sizes were perfect for elevating your snack options, and I added some palm tree paper placemats to the tops. The large gold bowl and serving scoops are a great size for our popcorn. You can use the individual popcorn boxes to serve up your favorite movie treat.
Add more fun with marquee letters. These are great at night because they're battery operated and light up your food area without disrupting your movie watching. Add in a few stuffed animal monkeys and some tiki torches and you are all set.
Movie night dinners are a cinch when you create ready-to-eat boxed dinners for each of your guests. They're so easy to assemble and take just a few minutes to create. Start by assembling kraft paper takeout boxes. Once assembled, use a glue stick to add a decorative tropical palm leaf cutout to the front. You can also use the cutouts as name cards if the dinners are custom. Just use a marker to add your guest's name to the box. Remember to set out some palm napkins, bamboo straws and cutlery if needed.
These prepackaged meals are the perfect way to keep wet little hands away from your food table. They're easy to pass out and eat while floating in the pool on a raft.
We opted for an easy meal: hot dog, chips and a cookie. Once guests are done with their meal they can simply toss the whole box in the trash, so clean up is a breeze.
To help set the mood for your movie night, create your own DIY jungle garland to hang over your pool. My kids loved how the jungle leaves danced in the wind throughout the movie. It really made for an immersive movie experience.
Our movie screen is a DIY project. You can create your own by using a backdrop banner frame and a white tablecloth. We used heavy duty velcro to adhere ours to the frame. You can cut the tablecloth to fit the frame. We lean ours up but you can stake it into the ground for additional support. Throw a few fun rafts into the pool and you're all set for your family swim in movie night. We showed a family classic (the original Jumanji), but this jungle themed movie night is perfect for a variety of movie favorites like Disney's Jungle Cruise, Jumanji Welcome to the Jungle, Jumanji Next Level, Madagascar, Indiana Jones and Jungle Book just to name a few. The kids really enjoyed floating in the pool while watching the movie. Such a fun way to spend some time with your family!
Have fun splashing into your next backyard movie night! For more fun ideas to transform your backyard for a jungle themed movie night check out my DIY jungle garland tutorial.
