Kennedy Center Honors 2026 moves to Capital One Arena during renovation closure
The 2026 Kennedy Center Honors will take place on 7 December at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.
A Kennedy Center spokesperson confirmed the change of venue, saying the annual ceremony will move while the Kennedy Center building is temporarily closed, Rolling Stone reported.
The closure is linked to a renovation plan. The Kennedy Center's board voted to close the performing arts venue on the Potomac River waterfront, according to the Associated Press. The centre is now seeking court approval for a plan to shut the main building for a two-year renovation, The New York Times reported.
The replacement venue is a sports address. Capital One Arena is home to the Washington Wizards basketball team and the Capitals ice hockey team. It is built for crowds of around 20,000, a very different room from the Kennedy Center's theatres.
Two central details are still missing. The recipients of the 2026 Honors will be announced at a later date. The broadcast partner for the programme will also be revealed later.
That second point matters. CBS has been the broadcast home of the Kennedy Center Honors since 1978. The centre has not yet said whether that long run will continue for the arena edition.
The venue announcement follows a separate legal decision about the building's name. U.S. District Judge Casey Cooper ruled that only Congress can change the Kennedy Center's name, a decision that forced the removal of President Donald Trump's name from the building.
For fans, this means the date holds but the setting changes. The Honors, which each year recognise lifetime achievement in the performing arts, will keep its December slot while its usual home goes dark for building work.
