Kennedy Center Honors to Be Held Outside Venue for First Time Amid Closure

The 49th Kennedy Center Honors will be held at Washington, D.C.’s Capital One Arena on December 7, 2026, instead of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, as the iconic arts institution remains closed amid an ongoing dispute over its future and the addition of President Donald Trump’s name.

A Kennedy Center spokesperson confirmed Friday that the annual ceremony, which recognises lifetime contributions to American culture through the performing arts, will take place at the downtown arena. The 2026 honorees have not yet been announced.

The relocation is a major break with tradition. The Kennedy Center Honors have been held at the Kennedy Center since the awards were established in 1978, including during the coronavirus pandemic, when the ceremony was presented in a different format but remained connected to the institution.

The Kennedy Center’s main building was closed in September after its board voted to shut the facility, citing safety concerns and the need for extensive repairs. Officials have discussed a renovation programme estimated at about $257 million and potentially lasting two years.

The closure followed a continuing legal dispute over Trump’s name. The Kennedy Center board, whose members were appointed by Trump, voted to add his name to the building. A federal judge subsequently blocked the move, ruling that the change could not be made without congressional approval because the center had been established by law as a memorial to former President John F. Kennedy.

Trump has continued to support adding his name to the building and has linked the renovation effort to the naming dispute. The federal government and Kennedy Center leadership have argued that major repairs are necessary, while the legal proceedings over the name and the institution’s future continue.

The venue change also means that one of Washington’s most prominent annual arts events will be staged at Capital One Arena, a facility primarily used for sports and large entertainment events. The arena has a capacity of roughly 20,000, considerably larger than the Kennedy Center Opera House, which seats about 2,300 people.

The Kennedy Center has yet to announce the artists who will receive the 2026 honours, as well as details of the ceremony’s broadcaster and host. Those announcements are expected at a later date.

Last year’s ceremony was hosted by Trump, with actor Sylvester Stallone, country singer George Strait, Gloria Gaynor, KISS and Broadway performer Michael Crawford among the 2025 honourees.

The relocation comes as the wider dispute over the Kennedy Center continues to attract congressional and legal attention. On Friday, bipartisan lawmakers introduced legislation aimed at preventing the demolition of federally designated presidential memorials without congressional approval, following concerns about the future of the Kennedy Center.

For now, the December 7 ceremony is set to proceed at Capital One Arena, while the Kennedy Center building remains at the centre of an unresolved dispute over renovations, its governance and its name.