• by Aaron Baar , September 8, 2015

Drive-ins may be a fading piece of Americana, but for a few weeks this fall, they’ll be making a comeback in a bid to promote television programming aimed at Millennials.

To showcase its latest season, Turner Broadcasting System’s Adult Swim will launch a 15-city national tour of outdoor drive-Ins. The tour gives fans an opportunity to screen content like unaired episodes of current series, never-before-seen pilots, and other special content, all aired on a 40-foot inflatable screen. 

“It’s a way to create some communal experiences with our fans,” Amantha Walden, senior director of talent and events for Adult Swim, tells Marketing Daily. “With television and DVRs these days, you don’t really watch programming [together] anymore.”

The tour will also include on-site activations from Cricket Wireless, Paramount Pictures, Sony Network Entertainment’s PlayStation Vue and Hershey’s. The brands will sponsor elements of the experience such as the concessions area, trivia contests and other experiences (such as a Cricket-sponsored VIP area with an “upgraded experience”).

This year’s tour builds upon the network’s previous experiential efforts, which have included a “Fun House,” “Block Party” and a “Jollification College Tour.” The idea of drive-ins particularly appealed for their throwback sensibilities and communal atmospheres, Walden says. 

“We liked the idea of the drive-n for the nostalgia of it,” she says. “To go and watch things in your car is a fun experience.”

The tour kicks off on Sept. 17, in Pittsburgh, making stops in locales such as Baltimore, Nashville, Charlotte, New Orleans, Tucson, Dallas, San Diego and Sacramento, Calif. The sites were chosen based on demographics (such as proximity to colleges) and sponsor input, Walden says.