Long Drive In Theater In Long Prairie Celebrates 70 Years

The Long Drive In movie theater in Long Prairie, Minnesota is celebrating its 70th year of outdoor movies in 2026!

MINNESOTA DRIVE IN THEATER

The iconic drive in opened in 1956 by Tillie Smith of Sauk Centre. The theater was purchased by Cliff and Laurel Meier in 1985 and then was sold to their daughter in 2013.

The 2026 season-opening event will take place on April 2-4, with the Easter Bunny making a special appearance at the theater on Friday, April 3rd and Saturday, April 4th.

MARIO GALAXY MOVIE OUTDOORS

Two blockbuster movies will be featured on the big, outdoor screen: The Super Mario Galaxy Movie and Goat.

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is the second installment in Illumination's Super Mario series. The first movie was released in 2023 and made $1.36 billion worldwide. The sequel is set to be released on Wednesday, April 1st, so the Long Drive In will have it on opening weekend.

Goat is the story of a young goat named Will who dreams of playing with the big animals of Roarball, similar to basketball. The movie has an 84% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes and has made over $100 million at the box office so far during its theatrical run.

MAKE IT A CAMPOUT

Long Drive In patrons also have the option to camp out at the theater. Camping can be reserved on the Long Drive In website- they say to reserve early due to the expected interest in the Mario movie this weekend.

Movies play rain, (presumably snow) or shine. Gates open at 6:30 p.m. each night and the price of a ticket includes both movies in a given night.

The Long Drive In is located at 24257 Riverside Drive in Long Prairie.