Entertainment02 October, 20263 min read
Kennedy Center Honors Relocates To Capital One Arena After Trump Naming Dispute And Closure
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Ceremony moved to Capital One Arena in downtown DC due to building dispute and safety. Kennedy Center closed main building for renovations, prompting off-site event for first time.
Honors Move Off-Site
The Kennedy Center Honors will be relocated to Capital One Arena in downtown Washington, D.C. for the Dec. 7 ceremony, with the center holding the gala somewhere other than the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts for the first time.
The move reflects an “extension” of the tradition of the event, while the Kennedy Center’s executive director Matt Floca told the court that the building must remain closed amid safety concerns.
The main building was closed to the public and safety assessments were still underway, prompting the center to move the celebration to Capital One Arena.
The center’s board cited a partial ceiling collapse in the center’s Grand Foyer as evidence that the Kennedy Center needed to be immediately closed for repairs, and NBC News reported that the closure would be reconsidered on a week-by-week basis.
The Kennedy Center’s board voted to close the iconic performing arts facility along the Potomac River after a federal judge blocked the institution from adding President Donald Trump’s name to the building, and the Honors relocation followed that fight.
Court Fight Over Trump Name
President Donald Trump has argued that the Kennedy Center must close for an extensive two-year renovation and that his help is needed to raise funds for the renovation, while CNN reported that his name should be added to the institution and that both points are being contested in a lawsuit.
Trump wrote on Truth Social in September that “the Renovation and Reconstruction, which is a very large and complex job, cannot begin” until the D.C. Circuit rules on the Board’s approved name.
CNN said the Kennedy Center’s Trump-aligned board and leadership argue that it must close for an extensive two-year renovation, and the article said the closure status is being evaluated on a week-by-week basis.
The Kennedy Center’s board had cited a partial ceiling collapse in the Grand Foyer, and NBC News said a construction consultant and the center’s director “consider the main building to be unsafe for continued occupancy.”
The White House declined to comment to NBC News about the change in venue for the annual awards ceremony, as the litigation over the closure and effort to rename the center proceeds.
Capacity and Timing
Capital One Arena seats around 20,000 people compared to the 2,300 seats in the center’s Opera House, where the awards ceremony has traditionally been held. CNN said the 2026 honorees have yet to be selected, while NBC News said the center says they will announce this year’s honorees at a later date. The Kennedy Center Honors show recognizes individuals who have made lifetime contributions to American culture through the performing arts, and CNN said the annual gala is typically held in the Opera House of the Kennedy Center itself.
CNN reported that the advisory board includes members of the board of trustees, and it said last year’s honorees included country music singer George Strait, the rock band KISS, singer Gloria Gaynor, Tony-award winner Michael Crawford and actor Sylvester Stallone. NBC News said even the 2020 Kennedy Center Honors, held belatedly in May of 2021 due to the Coronavirus pandemic, included performances that were taped over several days at various locations throughout the Kennedy Center’s campus.