A Legendary Drive-In Theater Returns To Tel Aviv For Two Nights Only

Almost 50 years ago, the city of Tel Aviv launched a drive-in complex where vehicles gathered to screen the movie Walt Disney’s “The Jungle Book, the first movie shown at the drive-in theater. It was the only drive-in theater to operate in Israel at the time and remained open from March 1973 until the year 2000.

The multi-purpose arena was subsequently renamed the Shlomo Group Arena and inaugurated in December 2014.

This week, to mark the Jewish holiday of Tu B’Av, also known as the Jewish Valentine Day, the Tel Aviv Municipality, in partnership with the Tel Aviv Cinematheque, will bring back the drive-in theater for two nights only.

Films La belle epoque and Zero Motivation will be showcased respectively at 9pm (gates open at 8pm) on Wednesday, August 5, and Thursday, August 6, for a total of 200 vehicles, strictly in accordance with Health Ministry guidelines and “purple badge” public health standards. Movie audio will be transmitted in high quality via an FM radio frequency.

The screenings are exclusively for DigiTel Resident Card holders. Tickets must be purchased ahead of time via the municipality website.

“Tel Aviv is the ‘non-stop city’ but the coronavirus outbreak understandably halted a large share of cultural and leisure activity. Nevertheless, we constantly searched for creative ways to grant residents access to culture. The return of the drive-in is another creative way to pass the hot August days, in accordance with Health Ministry guidelines,” said Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai.

The screenings are organized by Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality’s Arts and Culture Division (Performance Department), in partnership with municipal companies: Tel Aviv Cinematheque, Expo Tel Aviv and Sport Palaces of Tel Aviv-Yafo.