Looking for a fun outdoor idea for summer? Here are ideas and inspiration on how to create a movie night in the backyard.

me: t-shirt dress//pink shoes//earrings   him: t-shirt//shorts

Even though it feels like my husband just pulled up to my house in his Nova to pick me up wearing a prairie skirt, heels with socks, an add-a-bead necklace and a bow with my name on it.

Truth?

We have been married a long time.

And even after all these years?

I love him more today than all the days before.

I think it’s because we date.

We go on coffee dates.

And movie dates.

And picnic dates.

Basically, life is just one big date.

But last Saturday night we decided to try something different. Instead of going out to the movies (Top Gun I’m looking at you), we decided to stay home and create our own movie night in the backyard. I’ve seen people have backyard movies before, but we’ve never tried to create our own. It was so much easier than I imagined and took just a couple of minutes to set up.

Here’s everything you need to create an outdoor movie night in your own backyard.

How To Create a Movie Night In the Backyard

Here’s the set-up.

We opened up the backside of the outdoor pergola to set up the screen. It was SO EASY to set up. You can see the entire setting up process in my Instagram stories. The screen is really good-sized (it measures 90 inches by 55 inches tall) and it felt like an outdoor drive-in when the movie started playing. I love that it has legs so it elevates it to eye-level when you watch the movie. Also, the screen comes with stakes and an entire kit to stabilize it, so it’s sturdy in case a wind comes by. We got everything here at Walmart. They have the BEST selection of products to create all the outdoor fun. You can see the amazing selection here.

You can see the outdoor screen here.

The outdoor screens on the pergoa help to keep bugs away, but you want to consider using bug spray if you are outside of any length of time (especially in Texas). It was surprisingly comfortable outside in the evening even though it had been over 100 degrees during the day. It cooled off slightly at night and we brought out an oscillating fan to help with air circulation.

These battery-powered fans also come highly recommended and would work perfectly for a movie night as well.

Here’s a close-up of the projector.

I can’t say enough AMAZING THINGS about this projector. It works so WELL (and it’s on sale right now, too). It has a 4″ projection LCD so the picture was so clear and crisp and you can adjust the picture quality right on the projector. The fan on the projector was so quiet (they can be a little loud) so it didn’t interrupt the movie. It has 3 different HDMI ports so you can watch movies (like we did), play games, or stream from your phone, computer or tablet.

You can see the projector here.

It also has built-in speakers that produce a high-quality sound, so you don’t have to use external speakers unless you want to. We wanted to recreate the movie setting with surround sound so we used external speakers with the set-up.

Here’s a great portable wireless speaker option that’s on sale right now.

Everything was set.

Everything was ready.

But were there refreshments?

Ummm.

Yes.

Popcorn, of course.

Hello Captain Obvious.

I actually created an entire popcorn bar with this yummy microwave popcorn and granola and nuts and healthy options along with semi-sweet chocolate chips. There was bottled water and my favorite flavor of La Croix to drink.

And what movie did we watch?

One of my favorite rom-coms with just the right amount of funny moments and just the right amount of love story.

27 Dresses.

The stars twinkled above us.

The crickets were chirping.

The sun was setting behind the movie screen.

And if I squinted?

I could see a Nova pulling up the driveway.

Good thing I had my high heels and socks ready. 🙂

Here’s everything you need for a really fun movie night:

• This projector and here’s a more affordable option
• This outdoor seating
• These chairs
• This popcorn
• This LaCroix
• This screen
• This wood pedestal
• These dishes

Looking for some other fun options for the backyard?

I. Got. You.

Here are some family activities for all that summer fun:

• This toss and catch game
• This patriotic corn hole game
• These outdoor soccer goals
• This bike
• This baseball glove
• This outdoor game set
• This tower party game
• This portable cooler

disclosure: This post is sponsored by Walmart. All opinions are my own. Please see my disclosure page for more information. Affiliate links are used in this post.

Want to know how to decorate your home for free?
Click here to get my FIVE BEST secrets.