2026: Summer on the Sidelines

The Library’s annual summer film series is back with a full roster of free outdoor movies.

This year’s Off the Wall on the Central Library’s rooftop terrace celebrates the 2026 Summer Reading Program theme, Read, Score, Roar! Inspired by World Cup soccer matches in Kansas City, the lineup has a contrary take, focusing on those who couldn’t make the team — or didn’t want to.

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The series highlights the misfits, oddballs, and outcasts who are warming the benches, out for the season, or left in the cold.

From struggling to fit in at middle school, to an unpopular high schooler facing social challenges, to an unlikely teen vampire romance in the rainy Pacific Northwest, these films encourage you to find the hero in your own story.

Bring your squad.

Co-presented by the Kansas City Public Library and Young Friends of the Kansas City Public Library.

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Diary of a Wimpy Kid

July 17

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Napoleon Dynamite

August 21

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Twilight

September 18

Attending Off the Wall

  • Bring your own blankets or folding chairs for seating. Seating not provided.
  • Bring your own food, snacks, and non-alcoholic beverages. No glass containers, please.
  • Doors open at 8 p.m. The Central Library closes at 5 p.m. on Fridays, but the doors reopen at 8 p.m. for Off the Wall audiences.
  • All movies begin at dusk, approximately 8:45 p.m.
  • Parking: Enter the Library District parking garage via Baltimore Ave. Drive into the garage, validate parking on your phone in the Library, and drive out.
  • Transit options: take KC Streetcar to the Library stop at 9th / Main or Ride KC bus routes.
  • In case of bad weather, the event may be moved indoors or canceled. Watch event pages or the Library’s social media feeds for updates.