The Kennedy Center Honors ceremony will be held at Capital One Arena in Washington DC on December 7, marking the first time the prestigious awards have taken place outside the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts since the event’s inception in 1978, according to a Kennedy Center spokesperson. The list of honorees has not yet been disclosed.
The relocation comes amid ongoing legal and political battles between the Trump administration and Congress over the future of the Kennedy Center building. A U.S. district judge directed the Trump administration last month to provide at least 30 days notice before taking action toward demolishing the facility. Earlier this week, Republican Senator Mike Lee blocked a bipartisan bill that would have prevented such demolition without congressional approval.
Disputes over the center’s naming have been central to the conflict. The Kennedy Center’s board, largely composed of members appointed by Trump, voted in December to add the president’s name to the institution. Trump has stated that recognition of his administration is necessary to prevent the facility from closing and being demolished. However, in May, a federal judge ordered the Kennedy Center to remove Trump’s name, ruling that the venue “must be named for, and is meant to honor, President Kennedy alone.” Congress established the facility, which opened in 1971, as a memorial to President John F Kennedy.
Last month, Trump ordered the Kennedy Center closed “immediately” and warned that he would cancel planned renovations unless federal courts permitted his name to appear on the building’s front. Trump’s handpicked board subsequently voted to shut down the institution’s performing arts building, citing financial and safety concerns. The center had previously closed for renovations following declining ticket sales, and the administration’s efforts regarding the facility have generated public protests.
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