Another piece of local magic is sunsetting soon. On Aug. 17, Coyote Drive-In announced it will screen its final movie on Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 7, closing the projector for good after 14 years under the North Texas sky.
The reasons are practical. According to the press release, the closure ties directly to the Trinity River Vision and the long-awaited Panther Island project. Under the drive-in’s original lease with the Tarrant Regional Water District (TRWD), the agreement would end once construction began on two new canals and a 3-acre park. With that milestone arriving this fall, TRWD exercised its right to terminate the lease. Concrete and canals are coming. The screen goes dark.
Coyote opened in 2013 with a boost from investor Jimmy Buffett, and it quickly became more than a novelty. It hosted a Buffett concert, a high school graduation, an outdoor ice rink and Fourth of July fireworks shows. During the pandemic, when indoor theaters shuttered and hope felt thin, drive-ins offered a rare, safe joy—and, briefly, it seemed the format might roar back for good…