National Park Service to Turn Off Gateway Arch Exterior lights for Bird Migration Season

Friday, May 1, to Sunday, May 31, 2026

Gateway Arch National Park
11 North 4th Street, St. Louis, MO 63102
The National Park Service will not illuminate the Gateway Arch at night throughout the month of May during the spring migration.

According to the National Park Service, 40 percent of the nation’s migratory waterfowl use the Mississippi River corridor during their spring and fall migration.  

Upgraded lighting installed in December 2023 significantly reduced flare in the night sky. Turning the lights off  helps ensure migrating birds’ safe passage during heavy migration periods. The National Park Service began turning the Gateway Arch’s exterior lights off in 2002 to protect migrating birds. The lights will be turned back on beginning the evening of Monday, June 1, 2026, and the monument will be lit nightly thereafter.