For the first time in the nearly 50-year history of the event, the Kennedy Center Honors will not be held inside the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts this year, the center announced Friday.⁠ ⁠ With the main building currently closed to the public, and safety assessments still underway, the center announced it 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, where the awards ceremony has traditionally been held.⁠ ⁠ This year’s ceremony is scheduled for Dec. 7. The center says they will announce this year’s honorees at a later date.⁠ ⁠ #washingtondc #maryland #virginia #pgcounty #dc #districtofcolumbia #dmv #northernvirginia #alexandriava #northernva #arlingtonva #fairfaxcounty #nova #md #mocomd #pgcountymd #kennedycenter