Cover photo © iStock/Kirkikis
Cover photo © iStock/Kirkikis

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American vibes in Valencia at Auto-cine Star

2 minutes to read

One of the things I associate with the USA most strongly is this old school image of people parking up their cars in a peaceful field in rural America, in front of a big cinema screen. Open-air cinemas are something of a rarity in general, and certainly I haven’t been to any others in Spain. But the reality is the most important thing for an open-air cinema is to be pretty confident about the weather! Another reality is that in Spain (especially in these Spring/Summer months) we rarely have bad weather, and hundreds of days of sunshine instead of the (sad) British weather makes this the perfect spot for an outdoor cinema. There are so many outdoor experiences you can enjoy in Valencia, like the dunes of El Saler beach.

Auto-cine Star in Valencia is one such place, and it’s an incredibly natural and freeing sensation to be able to enjoy a modern and high quality cinema experience, all with a breeze and the stars to complete the experience. Although the setting seems fairly old-fashioned, and it was constructed in 1981 (and has been open almost every day since), nothing else about the experience is. The screen is huge, the sound excellent and the experience is beautiful. As a person who loves the outdoors and generally not being in cities and surrounded by buildings, the auto-cine experience is the perfect mix for me, and although yeah maybe you won’t have the highest quality audio and visual experience, the drive-in cinema more than makes up for it by creating such a unique and fresh evening of movie love.

Auto-cine Star Valencia
Auto-cine Star Valencia
Carrera del Riu, 407, 46012 Valencia, Spain

Traditional cinema experience...

The real question, the only one that truly matters – can you still get popcorn and snacks at this cinema? The good news is yes, they have popcorn, drinks, and they are even leaning into the USA style and have Tex-Mex food for those really looking to get into the USA spirit.

Movie selection...

They also have recently put a lot of energy into making sure that the area is disability-friendly to make sure everyone can come and enjoy the open-air film experience together. Another great feature of the cinema is the mix of movies that they show – in general you’ll find the majority of the new-releases being shown here (but with only one screen obviously you don’t have much of a selection for the day you want to go). They also regularly show older and classic movies as well.

Photo © iStock/DragonImages
Photo © iStock/DragonImages

Special days...

Not content with just putting on a good show, Auto-cine Star in Valencia have also consistently created fun and interesting special events on popular holiday days. One of the best examples is their Halloween cinema experience, where people come to watch scary movies dressed up in their most terrifying costumes.


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The author

Joe Thorpe

Joe Thorpe

I am Joe. I grew up in the UK, have lived in Africa and Paris, and now reside in Spain. An outdoor enthusiast, I like nothing more than to find a deserted beach, build a campfire and enjoy the view.

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