The Kennedy Center Honors will skip its usual home and meet at Washington’s Capital One Arena this December. The move comes as the center’s riverfront building sits at the center of a legal fight over adding President Trump’s name to it.
A Kennedy Center spokesperson confirmed the venue change Friday. The 49th annual honors will take place on Dec. 7 at the arena, which sits along the Potomac River. The event recognizes lifetime contributions to American culture through the performing arts.
Board Votes to Close
The Kennedy Center’s board voted last month to close the Potomac River waterfront venue. That vote came after a federal judge blocked the institution from returning Trump’s name to the building. The board of trustees, named by Trump, voted unanimously for the name change.
Trump said in social media posts that the center needed to close for safety repairs. He added that the repairs would only happen if the board could move forward with the name change. The board voted to close the center after the judge’s block.
The law explicitly prohibits the board from making the center a memorial to anyone else. It also prohibits putting another person’s name on the building’s exterior.
Judge Blocks Name Change
A federal judge has said twice that the name change can’t happen without Congress’ approval. The judge’s block has kept the name off the building.
Congress has allocated $257 million for repairs to the riverfront building. The money is for repairs.
The center was named a living memorial to John F. Kennedy in 1964, the year after his assassination. The Kennedy Center Honors were established in 1978.
Venue Change Confirmed
The decision to hold the ceremony at the arena follows the closure of the riverfront venue. The center’s board voted last month to close the Potomac River waterfront venue, and a Kennedy Center spokesperson confirmed Friday that the 49th annual honors will instead take place on Dec. 7 at Washington’s Capital One Arena.
The 2026 honorees will be named at a later date.
Where the paper stands
The paper backs neither side and backs the Kennedy Center honoring artists without naming a president on the building while the legal fight plays out. The center was named a living memorial to John F. Kennedy in 1964, and that name carries weight. The paper supports letting the arts honor itself, even as the board and the president try to change it.
The vote to close the center was made by a board named by Trump, who said the repairs would only happen if the board moved forward with the name change. The judge’s block has stopped the name from appearing on the building, and the center sits closed pending repairs.
The paper wants the arts to keep their home and their name, and it wants the fight over the building to end before it closes the venue entirely. The honors belong on stage, not in court.
Key Facts Box
- Event: 49th annual Kennedy Center Honors
- Date: Dec. 7
- Venue: Capital One Arena, Washington
- Name change: Blocked by federal judge
- Repair funding: $257 million from Congress
- Established: 1978
- Original memorial: John F. Kennedy, 1964
Timeline of the Fight
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Last month | Board votes to close riverfront venue |
| Friday | Venue change confirmed by spokesperson |
| Dec. 7 | Honors held at Capital One Arena |
Judge’s Orders Explained
The judge has ruled that the Kennedy Center cannot return Trump’s name to the building without Congressional approval. That order has stopped the name from appearing on the building since the vote.
The board voted to close the center after the judge’s block, meaning the riverfront venue remains closed pending repairs.
What Comes Next
The honors will proceed at the arena. The 2026 honorees will be announced later.
The riverfront building remains closed pending repairs. The legal fight over the name continues.
Source material: “Kennedy Center Honors to be held at Capital One Arena amid fight over adding Trump's name,” PBS.
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