As lockdown has forced many cinemas to close their doors due to social distancing measures, many cinephiles have turned to drive-ins to watch their favorite flicks. And while drive-ins may make an exciting cinema experience, a floating movie theater in Paris takes outdoor movie-going to another level, swapping out cars with boats.

Next week, the waters of the iconic Seine river in the French capital will see the arrival of a floating movie theatre where people can enjoy themselves in socially distant boats.

The “Le Cinéma sur l’Eau”, or “cinema on the water”, will be held on July 18 to celebrate the return of Paris Plages, an annual event organized by the French capital, that creates temporary beaches along the Seine and the Bassin de la Villette during the summer.

The floating cinema will welcome 150 locals who will be able to kick back in one of 38 small electric boats to watch “Le Grand Bain”, a French comedy about a group of men who start a synchronized swimming team and “A Corona Story”, a short film about COVID-19.

Each boat will seat four to six people, making sure that the groups consist of family or friends to makes sure social distancing measures are met. Also, to make sure that as many as people can benefit from this boat-cinema experience, another 150 people will be able to watch from deckchairs on dry land.

To get the chance to attend such an exceptional movie night, Parisians can enter a raffle for free tickets from July 7 – 16.

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“solitude is not the same as loneliness. solitude is a solitary boat floating in a sea of possible companions.”

-robert fulghum

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photo/text credits: derya ozdemir, interesting engineering, daily optimist, paris