The 2026 Kennedy Center Honors will leave its iconic Potomac River venue for the first time, with this year’s ceremony scheduled for Washington’s Capital One Arena amid the ongoing legal battle over President Donald Trump’s name and the future of the center.

A Kennedy Center spokesperson confirmed Friday that the 49th annual Honors will be held at Capital One Arena on Dec. 7. The center did not immediately provide a reason for relocating the event from its traditional home at the Kennedy Center Opera House, where the awards have been presented every year since they began in 1978.

The change comes as the Kennedy Center remains closed following a board vote last month to shut the complex. Trump has argued the facility needs extensive safety repairs and has supported a major renovation. At the same time, the administration and the center have been locked in a dispute over adding the president’s name to the building.

The Trump-appointed board voted unanimously to place his name on the center after he hosted the 2025 Honors. Workers began installing “Trump” lettering, but federal Judge Christopher Cooper ruled the board lacked authority to rename the federally established memorial without Congress and later blocked further efforts. Congress designated the center as a living memorial to President John F. Kennedy in 1964, and federal law prohibits turning it into a memorial to another individual or placing another person’s name on the exterior.

A separate dispute involves the planned closure and repairs. Congress has allocated $257 million for work on the building, while Trump maintains major safety repairs are required. A federal judge has ordered the administration to provide at least 30 days’ notice before any steps toward possible demolition, and Congress is considering legislation to prevent it.

Trump hosted last year’s Honors, which recognized artists including Sylvester Stallone and George Strait, and had said he would rename the facility the “Trump Kennedy Center.” The 2026 honorees have not yet been announced. Capital One Arena, home to the Washington Wizards and Capitals, can hold a significantly larger audience than the Opera House.