Someday when I have a backyard, I’m gonna throw the best movie nights EVER! Luckily, in the meantime, I have a brother to mooch off of who has a great one. 😉 We teamed up with our pals at IZZE to put together a super colorful backyard movie night to help inspire some summer gal pal gatherings and #FriendsdayNight moments! We’ve got personal snack kits, a popcorn bar, DIY koozies AND a free printable movie poster! Ready!?
Make A Summer Movie Playlist
Can’t have a backyard movie night without some good movies! Lucky for you, we put together a movie must list that you can print as a poster! Of course, getting through all these movies would be quite the marathon, but you can have guests vote or you can work your way through the list throughout the summer!
To print the Summer Movie Musts list, click here!
The poster can be printed as large as 18″x24″. We recommend printing it as a colored engineer print at your local office supply shop as the most affordable option!
Blow Up the Seating!
You can ask your guests to bring blankets and pillows for a cozy vibe, but I think it’s pretty fun to throw in some old-school blow up chairs, and even re-purpose some pool floats, too!
Seating Sources: Unicorn Float | Smiley Chair | Sprinkle Beach Ball | Lollipop Inflatable | Candy Inflatable | Striped Blanket | Pom Pom Blanket | Animal Cookie Pillows | Solid Color Pillows | Cooler | Light Box
On Me: Shorts | Button Down
Put Those Drinks on Ice!
Fill up a cooler with drinks for everyone so they don’t have to go far if they’re feelin’ that summer heat! We picked IZZE’s Sparkling Clementine and Sparkling Grapefruit because both flavors are super summery and refreshing. We also gave our cooler a little makeover by adding letter stickers!
IZZE Sources: IZZE Finder | Amazon.com
Put Together A Popcorn Bar!
A movie night without popcorn is like peanut butter without the jelly. Create a fun popcorn bar for your guests so they can make their own mix! Provide different candies, sprinkles, flavored salts and other mix-ins along with a big ol’ bucket of popcorn. We added vinyl letters to ours too! Before the movie starts, everyone can deck out their popcorn just how they want it!
Popcorn Bar Sources: Popcorn Container | Hot Pink Bowl | Faceted Bowls | Hot Pink Cup
Make Individual Movie Kits!
Remember those cardboard kid snack boxes they had at the movies? They had like a little drink, popcorn and candy? Time to make your own… adult style! Find a cute little box or tray and fill it with the following: a bag or container for popcorn, a few movie-friendly candies, an IZZE in a DIY koozie (more on that below!) and a mini version of the movie poster! (Just print them at 25% size!)
Kit Sources: Acrylic Trays | Popcorn Bags from Target | “You’re So Cool” Cards
Make some BFF koozies!
Hey, we’re all friends here! How fun would it be to have BFF koozies!?!? We’ve got two free printables here for you, one set says “Best Friends: and the other says “Gal Pals”!
Click here to download the BFF koozie templates!
Download the files and print them out on computer paper. Use scissors to cut them out the heart halves and the letters within them. Then, trace them (backwards) on to the non-shiny side of the iron-on vinyl and cut again. Follow the instructions on your vinyl (each brand is slightly different!) to iron on to solid color koozies!
Put it together and what have you got….?
Ha, sorry couldn’t resist! Use a solid wall or hang a large white sheet outside as a screen and set up a projector. Make sure you arrange your seating so nobody is blocking the projection onto the screen. Invite everyone over before dusk so you can hang out, get your snacks prepped and pick a movie! And then… enjoy!!
Photos by Jeff Mindell | Poster + Koozie Designs by Katy Jones
I mean… if you ever went to a movie night and got your own little snack kit wouldn’t you just DIE!? I would. Have you ever thrown a backyard movie night!? What’s your favorite summer movie to watch??
This post was created in partnership with IZZE. All content and opinions are that of my own! Thank you for supporting the sponsors that keep the Studio DIY party going! Read more about my editorial policies here.
Michelle says
How cool is that popcorn container! Awesome picks, thanks for sharing!
https://www.makeandmess.com/
Susan says
I need that unicorn float in my life, pronto! These tips are so fun! Thanks for sharing.
Shantel says
This is an awesome idea! The movie list has all my faves!
Vicky says
So cute! Wish I had a backyard so I could do this.
xo,
Vicky
http://www.aspiringsocialite.com/
Andrea says
LOVE ALL OF THIS! Such a great job 🙂 Thank you for posting!
Andrea says
mycinemalightbox.com for LED cinema lightboxes 😉
Donna says
This is a very fun idea, but since we do not have a photographer’s set to do this on….how do you get rid of the mosquitos that LOVE summer? Everytime i think about going outside I am reminded that I am a magnet for the mosquitos. In the southeast (and other southern spots) we are bombarded by the mosquitos – even during the day. I don’t like lathering my body with chemicals.
Your ideas are lovely and fun. I never thought about using pool blowups for seating. The kids and the adults would have fun with this.
Chelsey says
LOVE this! Where is the cooler from? It’s so cute!!
Julia says
This is so inspiring! I want to throw this exact party right now… The colors, the snacks, the movie playlist… All so on point! Thanks for sharing!
Julia – http://Bunnybaubles.com
Rae says
so fun!
Lily says
Awesome idea, but where did you get the teal cooler?
Clee says
Need that rainbow blanket and unicorn blow up. Where can I get it????
Becky says
This is so cute and would make such a great set for a photoshoot! Where did you get your cooler?
Mia says
Hi Kelly! This looks amazingly fun!!!!! I want to do t so bad! All the printables are to die for! One question… how would you play the movie? Blow up screen and projector? Thanks!!
AindreaHendry says
hello this is owesome……
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Top Digital Marketing says
This is Awesome! I Your ideas are lovely and fun. I never thought about using pool blowups for seating. The kids and the adults would have fun with this! Thanks for sharing!
ghd sports says
That was a nice backyard movie night to plan for a sunday or a funday.
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