White House POSTPONES pride concert with Betty Who as Washington D.C. is choked by smoke from the Canadian wildfires

The White House has canceled Thursday night’s scheduled outdoor Pride concert because of the poor air quality in Washington D.C. due to wildfires in Canada.

‘Today’s Pride event on the White House South Lawn will be postponed until Saturday based on the projected air quality in the region,’ the White House said in a statement.

Australian-American musician, singer and songwriter Betty Who was scheduled to perform at the concert on the South Lawn of the White House. President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden were scheduled to attend.

The smokey haze blanketing the East Coast has caused more than 1,000 flight cancelations. Washington D.C. Zoo’s closed for the day and schools aren’t letting children play outside.

The Washington D.C. region was declared Code Purple on Thursday morning as residents woke to a haze of smoke around the area, blanketing the city’s famous landmarks in a haze.

Code Purple means the air is unhealthy for everyone. It is the second-worst of six color-coded levels in the Air Quality Index.

Betty Who was scheduled to perform at White House Pride concert – which has been postponed until Saturday

Smoke from Canadian wildfires has blanketed the East Coast of the United States, prompting health concerns. About 75 million Americans currently under some level of air quality warning.

President Biden spoke with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday about the matter. 

There are over 400 active wildfires on the Canadian border, where many of the blazes have been burning for several weeks. 

The hundreds of forest fires have scorched 9.4 million acres and forced 120,000 people from their homes in an unusually early and intense start to the wildfire season. 

A weather front blowing in from the Atlantic Ocean over Nova Scotia then sent the hazardous plumes south, where they quickly smothered many major East Coast hubs. 

And with weather systems expected to hardly budge, the smoky blanket billowing from Quebec and Nova Scotia and sending plumes of fine particulate matter as far away as North Carolina and northern Europe should persist into Thursday and possibly the weekend. 

The White House in the haze and smoke caused by the wildfires in Canada

A map of the impact the wildfire smoke has had upon air quality levels across the East Coast. Purple sections are deemed ‘hazardous’, red is ‘unhealthy’, orange is ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups’, and yellow is ‘moderate’ 

WASHINGTON, DC: Members of the Marine Corps practice under hazy skies near the Lincoln Memorial 

Canadian officials say this is shaping up to be the country’s worst wildfire season ever. It started early on drier-than-usual ground and accelerated quickly. Smoke from the blazes has been lapping into the U.S. since last month but intensified with recent fires in Quebec, where about 100 were considered out of control Wednesday. 

Thursday night’s Pride Month concert was meant to be a high-profile show of support at a time when the community feels under attack and the Biden administration is emphasizing its stance as an ally.