Kennedy Center moves Honors ceremony to Capital One Arena

For the first time in the ceremony’s history, the Kennedy Center Honors ceremony will not be held at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and will instead by held at Washington, D.C.’s Capital One Arena.

This year’s annual ceremony, scheduled for Dec. 7, 2026, will take place in the downtown arena, which is the home of the Washington Capitals and Washington Wizards and a concert space as well. A Kennedy Center spokesperson called the arena “one of the nation’s premier live entertainment venues” in a statement.