Ignite your
imagination

Summer, especially for our nation’s youngest readers, is synonymous with warmer days, family vacations and imaginative getaways, for exploration across the world, across the country or down the street. Summer is a time for making cherished memories with those you love.

In similar fashion, the Library is also preparing a slew of festivities sure to inspire visitors of all ages. These events, which are free and open to the public, range from family friendly, hands-on activities to film screenings, author talks, costume balls and world-class concerts.

And best of all, everyone is invited!

Did you know that the Library turns into a different type of place once the sun goes down? Well, at least on Thursdays.

Every Thursday evening throughout the year, the Library extends its standard hours and hosts a series of performances, conversations, literary theme nights, exhibitions, concerts and films as part of its Live! At the Library series.

Visitors to the Thomas Jefferson Building find themselves amid the splendor of the Great Hall, ambling about its elaborate architecture, past delicately rendered marble figures set beneath stained-glass skylights. They can explore the Library’s exhibits and participate in special programming while enjoying happy hour food and libations and the amazing views of the U.S. Capitol, just across the street. Attendees have been known to sip hot chocolate during a story time for grown-ups and even line dance across the Library’s embellished marble floors.

July and August offer a special opportunity for cinephiles: Outdoor screenings on the Library grounds, with the Jefferson Building just behind you, the Capitol just over the street and a classic movie on a giant screen just in front of you.

This year, the Library again is offering its popular Summer Movies on the Lawn series on Thursdays at sundown. It’s time to stretch out in your Bermuda shorts, grab a snack, find a buddy and kick back and relax as the Library screens a range of classic film titles from its National Film Registry.

The Summer Movies on the Lawn program, now entering its eighth year, aims to highlight films representing a broad range of America’s rich film heritage. This year’s series features popular favorites such as “Grease” and “Iron Man” and others. Screenings of music performances provide entertainment prior to each film.

Oh, and don’t worry: We didn’t forget the snacks. The Library will have popcorn and other delicious goodies on hand for your enjoyment, too.

Maybe fantasy is more of your thing. Have you ever dreamed of playing the role of a young maiden looking for true love at the royal ball? At the Library, you may have your chance.

In March, the Library hosted a ball commemorating the opening of its new exhibition, “The Two Georges: Parallel Lives in an Age of Revolution,” which features materials related to George Washington, Martha Washington, King George III and Queen Charlotte. Attendees wore period costumes, danced to the music of Queen HD the DJ and learned English country dances from the Folklore Society of Greater Washington.

And stay tuned: The Library will be hosting another ball this fall, too.

Bring the whole family — even that hard-to- impress teenager — along for the Library’s monthly Family Days events. Held one Saturday per month, these thematic events provide opportunities to participate in hands-on creative activities for researchers of all ages while making your own history at the world’s largest library. Visitors also have the chance to learn from staff about Library collections.

At previous Family Day events, participants celebrated Japanese Culture Day, learned about women in aviation from the African and Middle Eastern Division collections, created Victorian-style Valentine’s Day cards and more. This June, visitors commemorated Juneteenth by exploring African American quilting and attending a talk with award-winning children’s book and adult book author Jewell Parker Rhodes.

Want to get even more involved with your Library? Afternoons with the Library is the perfect way to do it. This new series of weekday programs is full of activities sure to inspire as you encounter stories and materials from the Library’s collections. The programming, which features free virtual and in-person offerings, is held Tuesdays through Fridays between noon and 4 p.m.

Recent offerings featured a concert of traditional Italian music, a lecture on physician folklore and a virtual talk between Shawn Walker and Adam Silvia, a Library curator of photography. Walker is the first African American photographer to have his entire archive of work acquired by the Library.

All Library events are free, but timed-entry tickets are required. Library visitors can take their pick of events held from June through September. No matter if you’re into movies, literature, history or even quilting or Italian folk music, the Library has something for you. The only thing that’s missing is you!