This year’s Kennedy Center Honors will be relocated amid ongoing legal battle
By Sunlen Serfaty, CNN
(CNN) — For the first time, the annual Kennedy Center Honors will be held somewhere other than the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts amid a political and legal fight that has put the institution’s future in limbo.
The “relocation” to Capital One Arena in downtown Washington, DC, on Monday, December 7, will reflect an “extension” of the tradition of the event, according to a Save the Date poster announcing the details obtained by CNN.
The star-studded gala performance recognizes individuals who have made lifetime contributions to American culture through the performing arts and is typically held in the Opera House of the Kennedy Center itself.
However, the main building of the Kennedy Center is currently locked, as the center’s Trump-aligned board and leadership argue that it must close for an extensive two-year renovation. They have argued that President Donald Trump’s help is needed to raise funds for the renovation, and that his name should be added to the institution to acknowledge his efforts – both points that are being contested in a lawsuit working its way through a federal court.
These factors call into question what the status of the building will be by the time of the event in December. The Kennedy Center’s executive director Matt Floca has told the court that the building must remain closed amid safety concerns and that the closure will be evaluated on a week-by-week basis.
The inability to use the building this year for one of their marquee events underscores the significance of the tumultuous year the arts institution has endured – and continues to endure.
Since Trump used his powers to appoint allies to the Kennedy Center board and was elected chairman last February, the venue has suffered from declining ticket sales, high profile performance withdrawals and multiple rounds of legal disputes over putting the 47th president’s name on the building.
Trump’s heavy involvement in the institution has led to a further deterioration of its finances, CNN previously reported, but he has refused to back off from his quest to remake the center in his image.
Established in 1978, the Kennedy Center Honors show celebrates artists typically selected by a special advisory board for the distinction each year. The advisory board includes members of the board of trustees.
Last year, honorees included country music singer George Strait, the rock band KISS, singer Gloria Gaynor, Tony-award winner Michael Crawford and actor Sylvester Stallone.
In an unprecedented move, Trump, as chairman of the board, hosted the event last year himself – the first time a president had done so. Unveiling the list of honorees in August, he said he was “98% involved” in picking them.
The 2026 honorees have yet to be selected. The event has never been held off-site. During the Covid pandemic the 2020 Honorees was postponed to the following year – with a hybrid version being indoors and outdoors.
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