For more than two decades, Christmas Eve at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts had meant something special.

It was not just another date on the cultural calendar — it was a moment when musicians, audiences, and communities came together in a shared experience of warmth, music, and festive spirit.

Every year, local jazz aficionados and longtime visitors alike would gather in Washington, D.C., to hear the familiar rhythms of holiday jazz fill the grand halls of the nation’s performing arts center. It was a tradition that felt untouchable — a ritual that many believed would simply always be there.

But in December 2025, that music stopped without warning. What had once been a beloved holiday ritual was erased almost overnight amid controversy, institutional upheaval, and a clash of conscience that has rocked the arts world. Continue reading…