White House Pride celebration delayed over air quality concerns

The White House on Thursday postponed a planned Pride month celebration on the South Lawn, citing concerns over the air quality as smoke from Canadian wildfires coated the region.

The event was postponed until Saturday, the White House said.

The federal government’s air quality tracking website graded the air in Washington as “very unhealthy” as of Thursday afternoon, and local officials urged those in the area to remain inside or wear a mask if they were outdoors.

The Washington Nationals postponed a home game Thursday afternoon, and the National Zoo in the nation’s capital also closed for the day.

Neera Tanden, head of the White House Domestic Policy Council, previously described Thursday’s event as the “largest Pride celebration in White House history, with LGBTQ families from across the country demonstrating that LGBTQ people belong in the people’s house.”

Thousands of people were invited to the White House for the event, which was set to include a performance by Betty Who.

Canada is experiencing what NASA has described as an “unusually intense” start to its wildfire season, which has included fires in Quebec that were caused by lightning. 

Smoke from the fires has blown into the U.S., leading to unhealthy air quality across parts of the East Coast and Midwest.