The family-run Twilight Drive-In theatre in Aldergrove is opening this weekend for its final season.
Each year since 2005, the drive-in runs from end of winter to November, featuring films in the twilight hours of the evening for people to watch from the comfort of their vehicles.
From Friday to Sunday, Feb. 16 to 18, 鈥淢adame Web鈥� will be showing at 6:45 p.m., followed by 鈥淎nyone But You鈥� at 9 p.m.
Owner and operator Jay Daulat posted on social media that the drive-in made a 鈥渓ast-ditch effort鈥� to save the theatre with a lease extension by the landlord, but they were told there would still be a huge rent increase.
鈥淭hey were still wanting a 2.4x rent increase. That, coupled with the exponential increase in property taxes over the last five years, has made operating the drive-in no longer viable. As such, 2024 will definitely be the last year for the drive-in,鈥� the post reads.
Property taxes on the Aldergrove location, at 260th Street and Fraser Highway, have increased 260 per cent during the past three years 鈥� 72 per cent this year alone, Daulats said in an earlier post announcing the closure.
Upon hearing of the news last year, a customer-created petition was quickly launched in support of keeping the drive-in, and Township Mayor Eric Woodward won unanimous support from council for a review of options to keep Aldergrove鈥檚 Twilight Drive-In theatre open.
READ MORE: Aldergrove鈥檚 Twilight Drive-In announces it will close
Daulat told the 91原创 Advance Times that, while 2022 and 2023 shows were well attended, overall attendance hasn鈥檛 bounced back to pre-COVID numbers.
鈥淯ltimately, it will be this season鈥檚 attendance which determines if a new location would be feasible in the future,鈥� he said.
The theatre is encouraging fans to spread the word, so that people who haven鈥檛 experienced the drive-in yet have a chance before it closes.
鈥淲e all are very sad that future generations may not be able to have the drive-in experience, and ultimately we are disappointed we weren鈥檛 able to come to a viable agreement with our landlord,鈥� Daulat shared.
He added that he鈥檚 hopeful Woodward and council will help find a new location for the drive-in theatre to operate.
Woodward told council at the time that he had met with the operators of the drive-in, who explained 16.8 per cent of their customer base is local, with the rest, more than 80 per cent coming from outside Aldergrove and 91原创, making the theatre a destination that draws people from as far away as Vancouver Island.
鈥淪taff are continuing to look at options,鈥� Woodward told the 91原创 Advance Times.
鈥淚t has been a challenge to find other land outside of the Agricultural Land Reserve that would be available and economic for this use,鈥� he said.
According to the website, the Aldergrove theatre is one of only three surviving drive-ins in the entire province, with the others being the Starlight in Enderby, and the Park in Prince George.
Tickets for the season鈥檚 opening weekend can be purchased at .
