The Kennedy Center Honors are moving off-site for the first time in the history of the annual celebration. The December 7 ceremony will be held at Capital One Arena in downtown Washington, D.C., rather than inside the Kennedy Center, which has been closed since September 15 for planned renovations and ongoing safety assessments. The move comes amid an escalating fight over the future of the performing arts center under President Donald Trump, who took control of the Kennedy Center’s board earlier this year.
The board has backed a major renovation plan, while Trump has tied the project to the continuing legal battle over his effort to add his name to the building. The Kennedy Center has said a partial ceiling collapse in the Grand Foyer contributed to the decision to close the building. The center’s board has described the building as unsafe for continued occupancy while assessments and repairs are underway.
The Honors ceremony has traditionally been held in the Kennedy Center’s 2,300-seat Opera House. Capital One Arena can accommodate roughly 20,000 people. The Kennedy Center fight has escalated from a leadership shake-up into a legal and cultural battle over the institution’s future: This is breaking news, updates to follow.
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