Enjoy Olympics-Themed Events and Summer Movies on the Lawn During Live! at the Library in July
Visitors Are Invited to an Olympics Trivia Night, Bachata Class and a French-Inspired Café Concert
Enjoy summer movies on the lawn beginning on July 11 with a screening of “The Wizard of Oz”. Before the film, join us on the mezzanine of the Thomas Jefferson Building for a bachata class led by Orlando Machuca, Estefany, and DJ Hercules. Visitors are invited to come for a special pop-up trivia event celebrating the 2024 Olympics in Paris on July 18. Trivia will feature our extensive Olympics and sports history collections. Test your knowledge with questions highlighting historical photographs, legendary athletes' personal manuscripts, and more.
On Thursday evenings, the Library’s Thomas Jefferson Building and all exhibitions are open for extended hours from 5 to 8:30 p.m. Visitors are invited to enjoy happy hour drinks and snacks available for purchase in the Library’s beautiful Great Hall overlooking the Capitol while visiting the Library’s exhibitions, collections and programs.
Visitors are invited to Experience the Main Reading Room during Live! at the Library. Usually reserved for researchers, visitors can now walk inside and see one of Washington’s most beautiful spaces. Please note that due to strong interest and limited capacity, those with timed-entry passes are not guaranteed access.
Ticketing
Summer Movies on the Lawn: No tickets are required, but visitors are encouraged to arrive early as space is limited. Movies will begin at sundown. Visitors must stay with their items on the lawn at all times. Guests may bring their own blankets, chairs, food and beverages, but alcohol is prohibited.
For special events during Live! at the Library, please use the event registration ticketing link found next to the event or at loc.gov/live. This ticket grants access to the special event as well as the Library’s exhibitions and the happy hour portion of the evening.
For entry into the Library only for happy hour, an extended view of our exhibitions or to experience the Main Reading Room during Live! at the Library, a regular timed-entry pass can be obtained at loc.gov/visit.
Programming Highlights for July
July 11: Join us for a screening of “The Wizard of Oz” (1939), starring Judy Garland, in celebration of its 85th anniversary. It has become one of America's greatest and best-loved homegrown fairytales. No tickets are required to attend this event.
July 11: Dance the night away with a Bachata dance class led by Orlando Machuca, Estefany, and DJ Hercules in the Great Hall Mezzanine. Timed-ticket entry tickets are required.
July 18: Come to the Jefferson’s Southeast lawn for a screening of the iconic film, "An American in Paris" (1951) as we pay tribute to the kickoff of the 2024 Olympics in Paris. This romantic comedy musical and dance film follows an American World War II veteran in Paris as he chases his dreams amidst love and relationships, all set to a renowned Gershwin score. No tickets are required to attend this event.
July 18: Celebrate the 2024 Olympics in Paris with pop-up trivia, featuring the Library’s extensive Olympics and sports history collections. Trivia will be held from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. in the Great Hall Mezzanine. Timed-ticket entry tickets are required.
July 25: Summer Movies on the Lawn continues with a screening of "Love & Basketball" (2000), in celebration of sports and the commencement of the 2024 Olympics. No tickets are required to attend this event.
July 25: Surround yourself with techno music inspired by Paris during our Francophonica Ball. Join us for a pop-up dance party featuring three DJs spinning deep cuts of French house, disco, pop, and electronic dance music. Timed-ticket entry tickets are required.
Exhibitions On View
- The inaugural exhibition in the David M. Rubenstein Treasures Gallery draws from the Library’s rich Americana and international holdings in more than 450 languages and a variety of formats created across time and continents. “Collecting Memories” marks the ways and the means cultures preserve memory.
- “Join In: Voluntary Associations in America,” explores America’s history as a “nation of joiners” through voluntary organizations and our longstanding impulse to join together for common purposes, while also acknowledging these groups have sometimes reflected society’s exclusions, discriminations and divisions. The exhibition is on display in the South Gallery of the Thomas Jefferson Building. “Join In” was extended through July 6, 2024.
- “Not an Ostrich: And Other Images from America’s Library” represents a sampling of the more than 15 million photographs held by the Library, ranging from the early days of photography to today. Located in the Southwest Gallery of the Thomas Jefferson Building, visitors will see the “first selfie,” which is thought to be the earliest known American photographic self-portrait, and view important pictures of Harriet Tubman, the Wright brothers and more.
- Learn more about the lives and work of the Gershwin brothers in “Here to Stay: The Legacy of George and Ira Gershwin” on the Ground Floor of the Thomas Jefferson Building. This permanent exhibition pays tribute to the much-loved musical duo with handwritten and printed music, lyric sheets, letters, photographs, paintings and drawings from the Library’s Gershwin Collection.
- Take a trip through this major exhibition, a re-created version of Thomas Jefferson’s Library, which assembles 6,487 volumes that founded the Library of Congress, and learn how one of America’s greatest thinkers was inspired through the world of books.
Live! at the Library is part of a broader effort to reimagine the visitor experience at the Library of Congress that invites visitors to enjoy the Library and its collections in new formats during extended evening hours on Thursday nights. The series regularly features special conversations, music, performances, films and workshops that showcase the broad range of holdings at the national library.
The Library of Congress is the world’s largest library, offering access to the creative record of the United States — and extensive materials from around the world — both on-site and online. It is the main research arm of the U.S. Congress and the home of the U.S. Copyright Office. Explore collections, reference services and other programs and plan a visit at loc.gov; access the official site for U.S. federal legislative information at congress.gov; and register creative works of authorship at copyright.gov.
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Media Contact: Elaina Finkelstein, efinkelstein@loc.gov
PR 24-053
06/20/2024
ISSN 0731-3527