Kennedy Center to light up red, white and blue every night for ‘American spirit’


Lights outside the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts will permanently display the colors red, white and blue every night to commemorate the United States, the arts institute announced Tuesday.

Usually, the lights are plain white, but the Kennedy Center sometimes changes them for special events and holidays. Rainbow lights shine during the week leading up to the annual Kennedy Center Honors.

The swap to red, white and blue lights is the latest change at the Kennedy Center since President Donald Trump appointed himself chair of the board at the start of his second term in office.

“The lights are a beautiful reminder of the American spirit,” Roma Daravi, vice president of public relations at the Kennedy Center, said in a public release. “The red, white, and blue colors are a powerful symbol of unity and our nation’s commitment to bringing people together. What better place for that than at the Kennedy Center, America’s institution for the arts?”

Dozens of performances at the arts institution have been canceled since Trump took over, with some artists and productions calling off plans to perform there.

In February, the Kennedy Center canceled an upcoming concert featuring the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, DC. The chorus was set to perform alongside the National Symphony Orchestra in May as part of the District’s WorldPride celebrations.


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