The District is getting a new drive-in movie theater this fall at Buzzard Point in Southwest D.C.

Drive-in theaters have become a pillar of pandemic-era entertainment, with viewers watching films from the safety of their own cars. Though a number of local drive-ins are limited to the summer, the Capitol Riverfront Drive-In Movie Series, put on by the Capitol Riverfront neighborhood business improvement district, will be open every Friday between Sept. 25 and Oct. 30.

The Buzzard Point theater, located at The Akridge Lot at 100 V Street SW (just south of Audi Field), will screen movies including Selma, Knives Out, and Abominable.

“We recognize the challenges the District has faced over the last few months, and we wanted to create an experience where residents and visitors alike could gather for an entertaining activity while still maintaining a safe distance,” BID president Michael Stevens said in a statement.

Seating at the drive-in theater will be limited to 75 cars per movie. The BID suggests a $20 “donation” to hold a spot, with the funds going to the Capital Area Food Bank, D.C. Central Kitchen, and Van Ness Elementary School.

The theater’s first feature on Sept. 25 will be Selma, honoring the late Congressman John Lewis and the civil rights protests that “still [resonate] with the Black Lives Matter movement today,” the BID said in a release.

As October rolls in, the drive-in will feature horror and mystery films to celebrate Halloween — including Knives Out, Us, and a double feature of the 1931 movies Frankenstein and Dracula. The season will close out with a “people’s choice” film, where voters can choose between a series of classic Halloween movies.

Drive-in theaters have made a comeback during the pandemic — a chance to leave the house and watch films on the big screen, rather than a laptop or TV. Though some movie theaters have opened in Virginia, most are still closed under D.C. and Maryland reopening guidelines.

Earlier this summer, Events DC partnered with the company Broccoli City to launch the Park Up DC drive-in at RFK.

At the time, Christopher Rodriguez, director of the D.C. Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency, told DCist that drive-ins were a chance for District residents to safely venture out for entertainment.

“We want to make sure that District residents are able to get out a little bit as we move into Phase 2, but obviously … in a way that conforms to very strict public health guidelines,” he said in late June. “This is a dial. As we slowly reopen, we are doing so in a very careful and deliberate way.”

D.C. has been in Phase 2 since June 22.

This post has been updated to correct that the films will screen on Fridays.

Previously: 

Broccoli City, Events DC Launching Pop-Up Drive-In Movie Theater On RFK Campus
11 Places To Catch A Drive-In Movie This Summer