CDMX, Mexico.- On October 10, 1955, the first drive-in from Cuba. On the Vento road, they designed a space where it was possible to watch movies outdoors on a giant screen, located in front of the cars that were parked there. This was also a cheaper option for families, since they only had to pay for a space for the car and not a ticket for each person. The rise of cars and the fact that they were more and more frequent made this entertainment popular among the Havana audience.
Two more were later opened, the one on the Autopista del Mediodía and the one on Tarará beach. Both built in 1958. But according to historical texts, the one in Vento was the largest, although the others were better designed. There was space in it for more than 800 cars, while in the others the squares were covered by approximately 500 vehicles. The price was 50 cents per seat and the screenings began at 7:00 p.m.
María Victoria Zardoya and Marisol Marrero in her book Havana cinemas describe the Vento drive-in as having very simple architecture. “It was restricted to the entrance portico, built of concrete and where the day’s program was posted. In his designs, the study of the functional elements related to mobility and vehicle parking prevailed, and the analysis of their urban interrelation with the connection roads with the city”.
However, the most popular was La Novia del Mediodía, which had a screen measuring 36.58 by 18.29 meters, placed six meters above ground level. They say that the projections could be seen well from all the squares.
Over the years these glorious spaces ceased to exist in Havana. By the early 1990s they had disappeared, although some sources say that they did not work in the 1970s. The public asked that they be renovated in order to preserve them, but the authorities demolished them.
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