Dozens of vehicles filled with families and groups of friends showed up for the last movie showings under the stars at the West Wind Drive-In in Goleta on Monday.

The property at 907 S. Kellogg Ave. first opened as a drive-in theater in the summer of 1966 and remained open until 1991. Following the 1991 closure, the area served only as the West Wind Goleta Public Market for about 19 years until it reopened as the West Wind Drive-In in 2010.

The theater closed again in April 2019, but reopened in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic forced indoor movie theaters to close.

“We would like to thank you for your support and we will miss serving you at the Santa Barbara Drive-In,” a Facebook post from the Drive-In stated.

West Wind Drive-In has not provided a reason for the most recent closure.

“I want to thank you all … for all the great memories over the last two years,” the theater’s general manager said in another Facebook post. “You all are amazing, and I really appreciate you all coming out week after week to enjoy movies the best way there is under the stars.”

Both Facebook posts addressing the closure had dozens of comments from community members expressing sadness and sharing memories from the West Wind Drive-In.

Cars line up in front of the West Wind Drive-In screen Monday for the last night of movie screenings at the Goleta location. (Serena Guentz / Noozhawk photo)

“I want to cry. I remember my dad bringing us when we were little,” said Sophina Childers, who attended the last showings Monday night with her family. “It’s kind of bittersweet for us, so we had to come and support. … This is the second or third time we’ve brought the kids out and they love it.”

The Santa Maria Hi-Way Drive-In also closed after nearly 45 years earlier this year in January, making the Sunset Drive-In in San Luis Obispo the closest remaining drive-in theater.

Other West Wind Drive-In theaters include three other theaters in California — in Concord, San Jose and Sacramento — two in Nevada — in Las Vegas and Reno — and one in Glendale, Arizona.

— Noozhawk staff writer Serena Guentz can be reached at sguentz@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.