By KEVIN HOOVER
Although Shudder’s hit series The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs is only halfway through Season 5, the mutant fam has already begun looking to the future. From October 6 through 8, Joe Bob, Darcy and the rest of the gang will descend upon the West Wind Las Vegas Drive-In for the rechristened World Drive-In Jamboree (previously known as the Joe Bob Drive-In Jamboree) for three days of doing things the drive-in way. The third iteration of the event, which previously ran in Pennsylvania and Tennessee, not only marks a shift away from the Eastern U.S. but also a later-than-usual autumn run. And while the setting and season may change, all the guest panels, dusk-till-dawn movie marathons and autograph signings that made the first two outings such successes are guaranteed to return. Of note is The World Drive-In Movie Festival, an indie film spotlight highlighting some of the top works from directors around the country.
While many details are still under wraps, the camp’s press release does touch on all the key points:
THIRD ANNUAL WORLD DRIVE-IN JAMBOREE MOVES TO VEGAS
The third annual World Drive-In Movie Festival and Jamboree moves to Las Vegas this year, with three days of outdoor movies, music, live on-stage programming, vendors, dusk-to-dawn sleepovers, camping, barbecues, celebrity guests, cast reunions, and group walking tours led by Joe Bob Briggs, the world’s most famous drive-in movie critic. (Actually the world’s only drive-in movie critic.)
The Jamboree will be held October 6-8 at the West Wind Las Vegas Drive-In, known for its famous neon archway entrance on Carey Avenue, that opened in 1966 with a Doris Day/Burt Lancaster double feature and eventually expanded to six screens that can accommodate almost a thousand cars.
Founded by Briggs in 2021, the Jamboree has previously been held at the Mahoning Drive-In in eastern Pennsylvania and the Malco Summer Drive-In in Memphis, but this year’s Executive Director Diana Prince, better known as “Darcy the Mail Girl” on the Shudder streaming series “The Last Drive-In,” said “It was time to bring the celebration out west and kick things up a notch.”
“This is a huge drive-in, and that’s enabled us to slash admission prices for fans and have a much bigger party in the city known for its parties,” said Prince. “We’ll be announcing guests and programming throughout the summer, but anyone purchasing tickets prior to June 22 will get an early-bird discount rate. We want to fill up the West Wind with the most fanatic drive-in lovers in America.”
Winners in the World Drive-In Movie Festival will be screened opening night, Friday, October 6, and presented with Joe Bob’s coveted “Hubbie,” inscribed on a vintage Chevy hubcap. Submissions for the film festival are free, and will be accepted beginning today, May 22, and continuing through July 14. Rules for the competition, and instructions for on-line submission, are at https://filmfreeway.com/WorldDriveInMovieFestival.
Saturday will be the traditional live double feature in the style of “The Last Drive-In,” with celebrity guests and ongoing commentary by Joe Bob and Darcy, but in keeping with the tradition of the show, the movie titles aren’t being announced in advance.
Sunday is the Sleepaway Camp 40th Birthday Party with a cast and crew reunion of the 1983 cult classic, followed by a dusk-to-dawn marathon of all four “Sleepaway Camp” movies.
Vendor tents and celebrity signing areas will be on-site this year.
Tickets are currently on sale at https://www.tixr.com/groups/joebobbriggs/events/world-drive-in-film-festival-and-jamboree-2023-68047. To stay up-to-date on announcements, head over to https://www.joebobsjamboree.com.
