The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts will now permanently illuminate its exterior in red, white, and blue — a striking visual shift that marks a new era under recently installed leadership.
“The lights are a beautiful reminder of the American spirit,” Roma Daravi, vice president of public relations at the Kennedy Center, said in a statement.
The center’s lights are typically white, with occasional themed displays, including rainbow lights for LGBT+ causes, blue and yellow to show support for Ukraine, and amber and purple to commemorate the anniversary of women’s suffrage.
The Kennedy Center had previously marked the 100th birthday of President John F. Kennedy in 2017 with red, white and blue lights.
“The red, white, and blue colors are a powerful symbol of unity and our nation’s commitment to bringing people together,” Daravi said. “What better place for that than at the Kennedy Center, America’s institution for the arts?”
The new permanent color scheme is just one of several changes introduced after President Donald Trump appointed himself chairman of the Kennedy Center’s board in March.
Trump’s appointment of Richard Grenell, a former U.S. ambassador and longtime political ally, as interim executive director of the Kennedy Center has led to sweeping and deliberate internal changes.
Recently, musician Yasmin Williams shared on Instagram and in a CNN interview an alleged email exchange with Grenell where she asked about the organization’s direction. In the message, reportedly sent in response to her inquiry about changes to the center’s programming and cultural focus, Grenell claimed that previous leadership had left the institution with “zero in the bank and zero in reserves,” and he criticized past fundraising efforts as “atrocious.”
“The programs are so woke that they haven’t made money,” the email to Williams allegedly read. “Yes, I cut the DEI bulls*** because we can’t afford to pay people for fringe and niche programming that the public won’t support. Yes, I cut the people making over $500k a year because we are in debt. Yes, we are doing programming for the masses in order to pay our bills.”
In a separate interview with the Washington Reporter, Grenell confirmed that Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs are among the “common sense” cuts being implemented. He said his leadership is reviewing every department to ensure the Kennedy Center focuses on financially viable programming.
“We had spent way too much on programming that doesn’t bring in any revenue,” Grenell said. “While I’m all for arts education, we can’t go into debt to fund it. My solution is to offer programming that earns money — then use that revenue to support niche or educational efforts in the future.”
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The Kennedy Center reportedly broke its all-time attendance record for a recent public event on March 29, drawing over 11,000 people for the EARTH to SPACE: Arts Breaking the Sky fireworks show. Notably, 76% of attendees had never visited the Kennedy Center before.
The new patriotic lighting scheme also aligns with preparations for the United States’s semiquincentennial in 2026 — the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The Trump administration has announced plans for nationwide celebrations to commemorate the milestone.
