ST. LOUIS, Mo. - Commuters along I-64 will be treated to a dazzling display of rainbow lighting courtesy of the Saint Louis Science Center's James S. McDonnell Planetarium in Forest Park in honor of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Pride Month.
Pride St. Louis, Inc., organizers of the city’s annual PrideFest, announced today that the iconic saucer will be lit up in the traditional rainbow colors on Saturday, June 27, 2015 - a nod to the LGBT or Gay Pride Flag designed by Gilbert Baker.
"I'm excited to see the Planetarium light up in pride colors," said Matt Harper, president of Pride St. Louis, Inc. "It still amazes me the number of allies we keep getting supporting PrideFest. The Planetarium is a St. Louis landmark, and the support they are showing with the rainbow lighting is wonderful."
The Planetarium, which opened its doors on April 16, 1963, has a long tradition of marking events, holidays and causes through use of ribbons (a tradition dating back to the 1960s) and more recently, illumination.
The original 2002 lighting system, which consisted of 12-pole mounted fixtures set around the Planetarium, was replaced in 2013 to mark the building's 50th anniversary. In its place is a state-of-the-art 24 light LED system where six gobo projectors produce moving or static images, patterns and pictures.
St. Louis joins a growing list of cities lighting up landmarks to commemorate LGBT Pride. The Saint Louis Science Center's James S. McDonnell Planetarium now joins Soldier's Memorial, The Civil Courts Building, Park Pacific Apartment Building and Lumiére Place Casino & Hotel in lighting their facades in rainbow to mark the occasion in the Gateway City.
St. Louis PrideFest 2015 will be held June 26-28 at Soldier’s Memorial downtown.