‘Camp by Walmart’ a Virtual Experience for Family Fun this Summer
At the beginning of this month, Walmart announced its plan to launch two new experiences to help families create memories during these trying times. The global pandemic led to social distancing measures that have hampered family vacations, suspended pool parties, and left camp bunks empty. We’re now experiencing summer as we’ve never had to before.
credit: Business Wire
However, Walmart is doing something commendable about it through its virtual summer camp and drive-in theatre. As Janey Whiteside, the Chief Customer Officer of Walmart pointed out, “Through our digital means and vast footprint of stores, we’re hoping to bring some summer fun to families across the country. We know Walmart plays a role in our communities that extends far beyond getting them necessary supplies, and we see that now more than ever”.
Since its commencement on July 8, virtual summer camp has brought fun to many kids through free online activities. These activities are being anchored by several experts and even celebrities including Neil Patrick Harris, Drew Barrymore, Idina Menzel, LeBron James, and Todd Oldham.
For instance, ‘Skills Camp’ is a talent show where kids are taught new skills by experts like Idina Menzel, who is a prominent singer and actress. ‘Smart and Crafts’ is a design camp where Todd Oldham illustrates the process of creativity through arts, craft, and fashion.
Although virtual summer camp started with 50 activities, Walmart intends to expand it to more than 200 throughout this summer. Virtual summer camp can be accessed by downloading the Walmart app or updating an existing app on your device.
For the drive-in theatre, Walmart is partnering with Tribeca Enterprises, a diversified media company based in NYC. By transforming over 160 Walmart store parking lots to contact-free drive-in movie theaters, families can watch movies programmed by Tribeca Drive-in, including blockbusters and family favorites like Space Jam and Wonder Woman. Each of the selected 160 stores will probably have two different movie events, for a total of 320 Walmart Drive-in events.
The CEO and co-founder of Tribeca Enterprises and Tribeca Film Festival said, “Drive-ins have been a signature program for Tribeca since we started Tribeca Film Festival 19 years ago after 9/11 but now, the Tribeca Drive-In is much more than a fun, retro way to see movies – it’s one of the safest ways for communities to gather. We are thrilled to partner with Walmart to bring more people together around the shared cinematic experiences that Tribeca is known for”. The Drive-In Tour will commence in August and run through October.
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