An Eastern Iowa Drive-In Movie Theatre is Celebrating 75 Years in 2025

One of Iowa's only remaining drive-in movie theatres is getting ready for its "75th year under the stars!" Voy 61 Drive-In Theatre will open for the season in just a few weeks!

Located in Delmar, just five miles south of Maquoketa, Voy 61 Drive-In Theatre has been welcoming movie-goers since August 11, 1950. A former KHAK article says that the very first movie shown was "Rachel and the Stranger," and admission was just 50 cents.

Ahead of their 75th season, Voy 61 is thanking customers for their continued support, especially their support of the concession stand, which is how the theatre makes most of its money. The Facebook post reads:

"With our profit less than $2.50 per person on our admission ticket fee (like we discussed in our last post), the concession stand is our bread and butter so to speak. We have a wide variety of options from pizza, burgers, tacos, ice cream, Coca Cola products, nachos, candy and most importantly our CAN’T BEAT INCREDIBLY DELICIOUS popcorn!!

We love every minute of serving our fantastic customers under the stars. Without your support in our concession stand it wouldn’t be possible."

Even though Voy 61 Drive-In Theatre has a concession stand, they do still let families bring in their own snacks, which very few drive-in theatres allow. Other items you can bring in include blankets/lawn chairs, sunscreen, bug spray, games, and portable radios (if you prefer to sit outside of your vehicle). Pets and grills are NOT permitted.

If you want to check out Voy 61 Drive In Theatre this year, opening night is Friday, April 4th. Here's the schedule for 2025:

• April - Fridays & Saturdays
• May - Fridays & Saturdays
• June - Fridays, Saturdays, & Sundays
• July - Fridays, Saturdays, & Sundays
• August - Fridays, Saturdays, & Sundays
• September - Fridays & Saturdays
• October - Fridays & Saturdays
• November - Fridays & Saturdays
• December - Fridays & Saturdays

Each night, there are two movie showings for the price of one. The movies for the week are announced on Mondays. Some of the new films that the drive in plans to show in 2025 are:

• A Minecraft Movie (PG)
• Lilo & Stitch [live action remake] (PG)
• Smurfs
• Superman
• How to Train Your Dragon [live action remake]
• Zootopia 2
• Freakier Friday
• Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning
• Karate Kid: Legends
• Five Nights at Freddy's 2

The sound for the movies can be played over any radio by tuning into 88.5 FM.

The box office opens at 6:30 p.m. and tickets are first come, first serve, but can also be purchased online in advance. The website notes, "we do generally get a line of cars waiting for us to open on the weekend nights, so our advice is always come early if you want your prime spot!" The drive-in can fit over 250 vehicles, so there's plenty of room!

Before the movie starts, there are all sorts of activities for families to enjoy! You can play volleyball or basketball, swing on the swing set, play in the sandbox, and more. There are also train rides when the weather cooperates.

Tickets for the 2025 season are $7 for ages 13+, $4 for ages 4 to 12, and free for ages 3 and under. Season passes are also available and run $60 for adults and $30 for children. And, you can book a private movie screening, too! For more information on Voy 61 Drive In Theatre, visit the official website HERE.

There are currently less than 300 drive-in movie theatres left in the U.S. In addition to Voy 61, here are the ones remaining in Iowa:

• Valle Drive-In, Newton

• Blue Grass Drive-In, Blue Grass (Quad Cities area)

• Superior 71 Drive-In Theater, Spirit Lake