Kennedy Center Honors Relocates to Capital One Arena for 2026 Event

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Kennedy Center Honors Moving to Washington, D.C. Arena Amid Venue’s Closure

2026 show will take place at Capital One Arena, home of basketball and hockey teams, while the performing arts center is "temporarily closed" for the foreseeable future

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October 3, 2026

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The Kennedy Center Honors will still take place in 2026, albeit at a Washington, D.C. arena, even as the performing arts venue remains closed amid the removal of Donald Trump’s name from the building.

A spokesperson for the Kennedy Center announced Friday that this year’s honors will take place December 7 at the Capital One Arena, home of both the Washington Wizards and Capitals. The recipients of this year’s Kennedy Center Honors will be announced at a later date.

While CBS has been the home of the Kennedy Center Honors broadcast since 1978, the spokesperson added that “the program’s broadcast partner” would also be revealed later, ABC News reported .

The annual honors ceremony appeared to be in jeopardy, especially following the news that the Kennedy Center would close for lengthy renovations, work that was tied to the president’s demand that the building legally be renamed in his honor; Trump would be unlikely to cooperate with fundraising efforts and the supposedly urgent renovations without “appropriate recognition” of his role in the project.

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_Originally reported by [Rolling Stone](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/kennedy-center-honors-washington-d-c-arena-venue-closure-1235636463/)._