- Gets dark7:27 pmGates open 6:45pm*
- Google rating4.70123456789,012345678901234567890123456789reviews
- Screens1
- Price$11.25per adult
- Outside food$7permit per car
- DogsWelcome*
- FM87.9 FM
- Car spots850
- This week's moviesOn Facebook pageWeekly
- Opened1948
Holiday Auto Theatre is at 1816 Old Oxford Road, also called State Route 130, in Hamilton, Ohio, north of Cincinnati.
It has one screen. Tickets are $11.25 for adults and $7.25 for kids 4 to 11, and kids 3 and under get in free. The ticket booth and the snack bar both take Visa and Mastercard.
Sound comes through your car radio at 87.9 FM. If you want to bring your own food, you buy a $7 food permit for the car, and it gets you $2 off a concession order of $10 or more.
Location
Where is Holiday Auto Theatre?
Holiday Auto Theatre is at 1816 Old Oxford Rd, Hamilton, OH 45013. The entrance is at Vizedom Road.
Loads Google Maps when you tap it
Where to eat nearby
If you would rather eat before the movie than at the counter:
- Taqueria Guanajuato
- Shooters Sports Grill Hamilton
- Wow's Thai Kitchen
Start time
What time does the movie start at Holiday Auto Theatre?
What Holiday Auto Theatre says: Posted 7:45 PM for the first movie on September 26, 2026, with gates at 6:30 PM. Full dark that night came around 7:56 PM, so the first movie started about 10 minutes before full dark.
In October the sun sets around 7:00 pm and it gets dark around 7:27 pm.
Dark means full dark, about 25 minutes after sunset. It is not a time Holiday Auto Theatre promises, and some drive-ins start the movie before it. Plan to be parked by sunset.
Here is when it gets dark in each month, from April to October, on the 15th.
| Month | Gets dark |
|---|---|
| April | 8:43 pm |
| May | 9:15 pm |
| June | 9:39 pm |
| July | 9:36 pm |
| August | 9:03 pm |
| September | 8:15 pm |
| October | 7:27 pm |
For more on what time it gets dark and when drive-ins really start their movies, read our start-time guide.
Prices
How much Holiday Auto Theatre costs
- Adult$11.25
- Child$7.25Ages 4-11
- Under 4FreeKids 3 and under
Amenities
Food, restrooms and rules
- Snack bar
- Outside food is allowed with a $7 permit, bought at the gate
- The $7 food permit also gets you $2 off any concession purchase of $10 or more.
- Restrooms in a building
- You can bring your dog
- Wifi: free Wi-Fi across the property
- Email list: weekly show-schedule email signup on the home page
- Gift certificates: $5 bonus certificate with every $30 purchase, sold on the site
- Online tickets: pickup needs the card used plus ID; same-day online sales close at showtime; multi-car orders must arrive together
- Tie-down twine: free twine for lift gates and rear doors taller than the vehicle, available at the refreshment center
- New year's eve: the venue hosts a New Year's Eve event, with a photo gallery of past ones on its own site
- Also here: playground
Showtimes
What's playing at Holiday Auto Theatre this week
Holiday Auto Theatre posts this week's movies and start times on its Facebook page, usually weekly. Check there for tonight's show.
Reviews
What visitors say about Holiday Auto Theatre
From 1,535 visitor reviews, 4.7 stars.
Friendly, welcoming staff
- Google's aggregated review topics log "friendly staff" 52 times across the venue's review history.
- Three of the five most recent reviews (September 2026) independently call staff friendly, welcoming or helpful.
Clean restrooms
- Google's review-topic summary logs "clean restrooms" 15 times.
- The most recent review found (late August 2026) called them "super clean and very well maintained."
Always a double feature
- Google's review-topic summary logs "double feature" 15 times.
- The most recent review found (late August 2026) flagged it as a plus: "it's a double feature so that's awesome."
Nostalgic, classic drive-in feel
- Google's review-topic summary logs "nostalgia" 25 times and "vintage feel" 4 times, the venue's largest recurring theme after staff.
Before you go
Know before you go
- The box office opens 6:45pm*
- On a busy summer night, get there about 45 minutes early
- Rain or shine, the movie plays
- The theater keeps twine at the refreshment center for tying down lift gates and rear doors that stick up higher than the vehicle roof, since the rules cap their height at the vehicle's own.
- The $7 outside-food permit doubles as a $2 discount on any same-day concession purchase of $10 or more.
- Every showing is a double feature, per the venue's own review pattern (15 mentions) and its most recent Google review (late August 2026), so plan the evening for two movies, not one.
History
The history of Holiday Auto Theatre
Holiday Auto opened September 3, 1948 as the Hamilton Outdoor Theatre, renamed Holiday Auto in 1951. Capacity grew from 350 cars to its current 850 across several owners: Louis Aldt, then L.E.
Ott, then Ben Cohen and Marc Cummings by the 1950s, then Fred Baum from 1995 until his death in 2007. Todd Chancey and Mark Althoetmar have run it since September 2007; it marked its 75th anniversary in September 2023 and now runs laser projection.
FAQ
Questions about Holiday Auto Theatre, answered
How many screens does Holiday Auto Theatre have?
Holiday Auto Theatre has one screen. Everybody on the lot watches the same film, so there is nothing to choose when you arrive. Park where you like, tune your radio and wait for the light to go.
What FM frequency does Holiday Auto Theatre use?
Holiday Auto Theatre broadcasts its soundtrack on 87.9 FM. The audio comes through your own car stereo rather than a speaker on a post. If your car cannot run its radio with the engine off, bring a portable one.
What time does the movie start at Holiday Auto Theatre?
What Holiday Auto Theatre says: Posted 7:45 PM for the first movie on September 26, 2026, with gates at 6:30 PM. Full dark that night came around 7:56 PM, so the first movie started about 10 minutes before full dark. In October it gets dark around 7:27 pm. Check with the theater on the day you go.
How much does Holiday Auto Theatre cost?
Admission to Holiday Auto Theatre is $11.25 per adult, $7.25 per child 4-11. Two adults and two children come to $37. Children 3 and under get in free.
Can I bring my own food to Holiday Auto Theatre?
You can bring your own food to Holiday Auto Theatre once you have bought a permit for $7 a car. The permit is worth it if you were going to spend more than that at the counter anyway. Without one, outside food is not allowed in.
Are dogs allowed at Holiday Auto Theatre?
Dogs are welcome at Holiday Auto Theatre, so there is no sitter to arrange. Keep yours with you at the car, bring water, and clean up afterwards. A nervous dog is worth leaving at home, because car horns and sound carry across a lot.
Nearby
Other drive-in theaters in Ohio
- 32 miles awayMelody 49 Drive-InSee this theater
- 35 miles awayDixie Twin Drive-InSee this theater
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- 42 miles awayBel Acre Drive-In TheaterSee this theater