Historic Arena Relocation

Kennedy Center Honors Moves Off-Site for First Time Due to Building Closures

The Kennedy Center Honors will not be held inside the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, marking the first time in the nearly 50-year history of the event. The main building is currently closed to the public and safety assessments are ongoing. The ceremony will be moved to Capital One Arena in downtown Washington, D.C., which seats around 20,000 people compared to the 2,300 seats in the center's Opera House. This change comes as the main theaters at the Kennedy Center have been closed since Sept. 15 for renovations. The center's board has cited a partial ceiling collapse in the Grand Foyer as evidence that the center needs to be immediately closed for repairs. However, President Donald Trump has previously stated that renovations would not happen unless his name was added to the building.