Holiday Drive-In Theater

Holiday Drive-In Theater
2829 E Kearney St, Springfield MO

Holiday Drive-In Theater was built by Commonwealth Theaters of Kansas City. Originally planned to be a two screen drive-in, only one screen was built, with accommodations for 529 cars. It opened on August 13, 1970 with Lee Marvin in “Paint Your Wagon”. The Holiday Drive-In Theater operated for the next 11 years until closing for the first time in 1981. When originally opened it used the traditional speaker setup. It was later reopened again for a short period from 1994 during which time an FM system was used.

Initially, according to news reports, things appeared to be going well. A local paper said of the opening that "[Customers] sat on car hoods, spread blankets on the wet gravel, sipped sodas and munched on popcorn hours before darkness ignited the start of the show."

Later, the owner was quoted as saying, "I've been very happy with business this summer. Since I've been playing 'The Lion King' and 'Angels in the Outfield' we've been selling out every weekend. A lot of people, especially families, love going to a drive-in."

However, it was not to last, and the drive-in closed after only two years. The structures on site were demolished in 2005, but the sign remained. The rows are still clearly visible in satellite imagery.

Fun Fact: My father watched a Planet of The Apes movie during the theater's initial incarnation; my partner watched The Lion King during it's second. Many locals have fond memories of Holiday Drive-In!

Further Reading: https://www.news-leader.com/story/news/local/ozarks/2018/11/24/answer-man-holiday-drive-theater-neon-sign-all-remains/2069945002/

The Holiday Drive-In Theater is completely lost to time. After a briefly sucessful attempt at a revival in the 90's, all structures aside from the sign were demolished in 2005. Currently, the property is for sale with a listed price of $5,220,000.

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