Kennedy Center honors relocates to Capital One arena amid Trump naming dispute

The Kennedy Center's Honors ceremony will take place at a location away from the Kennedy Center for the first time in the nearly 50-year history of the event, as the center announced Friday.

The main building is currently closed to the public and the center disclosed plans to move the celebration of American performing arts to Capital One Arena in downtown Washington D.C. which seats around 20,000 people compared to the 2,300 seats in the center’s Opera House.

The change of venue for the historic event comes as the main theatres at the Kennedy Center have been closed since September 15.

Executive Director Matt Floca clarified in court filings that the shutdown is being evaluated on a week-by-week basis subject to the outcome of the current safety evaluation.

Earlier, Trump said renovations would not happen unless his name was commemorated on the building which a federal judge has blocked multiple times as litigation over the shutdown and renaming attempt continues.

Trump wrote on Truth Social in September, “The closing will take place immediately, however, the Renovation and Reconstruction, which is a very large and complex job, cannot begin until such time as the D.C. Circuit rules on the Board’s approved name.”

“If the ruling is a negative one, which it should not be, and is not overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court, the Reconstruction and the Renovation of The Kennedy Center will not take place.”