Kennedy Center Honors 2026: Monday, Dec. 7 at Capital One Arena, and What Is Not Yet Announced

The 49th annual Kennedy Center Honors are set for Monday, Dec. 7, 2026, at Capital One Arena in downtown Washington, D.C., according to a Kennedy Center spokesperson quoted by the Associated Press (AP) and CBS News on Oct. 2, 2026. The honorees, the host, the broadcast network and the air date have not been announced.

What is set and what is not yet announced?

Item	Status for 2026	Source
Event	49th annual Kennedy Center Honors	AP, Oct. 2, 2026
Date	Monday, Dec. 7, 2026	AP, Oct. 2, 2026
Venue	Capital One Arena, downtown Washington, D.C.	AP and CBS News, Oct. 2, 2026
Honorees	Not yet announced; to be named “at a later day,” per the center’s spokesperson	AP, Oct. 2, 2026
Host	Not yet announced	Not reported yet
Broadcast network	Not yet announced; expected “later this fall”	CBS News, Oct. 2, 2026
TV air date	Not yet announced	Not reported yet

The date comes from the AP report, which said “the event will take place on Dec. 7.” Dec. 7, 2026 is a Monday. Mark it on a December 2026 printable calendar and treat the other lines as open until the center says more.

Why is the event at Capital One Arena?

CBS News reported that the Kennedy Center’s main building is closed for what the administration calls safety assessments. The AP said the 49th awards are set for the downtown arena, as a Kennedy Center spokesperson said. The AP also reported that a federal judge has twice said the center’s name cannot be changed without Congress.

When will the 2026 Kennedy Center Honors be on TV?

No network or air date has been announced. CBS News reported that the center is expected to announce its broadcast partner for the 2026 program later this fall. CBS aired the Honors every year from 1978 to 2025, CBS News reported, and the contract ended after the 2025 program, according to a source familiar with the contract.

Last year’s schedule shows how far apart the steps fell. This is 2025 only, not a forecast for 2026:

Step	2025 (48th Honors)	Source
Honorees announced	Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025	AP
Ceremony taped	Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, Kennedy Center Opera House	Paramount Press Express
Broadcast	Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025, 8 to 10:30 p.m. ET/PT on CBS, streaming on Paramount+	Paramount Press Express

In 2025 the honorees were named 116 days before the ceremony, and the broadcast followed the taping by 16 days. The honorees were George Strait, the rock band Kiss, Gloria Gaynor, Michael Crawford and Sylvester Stallone, according to the AP. The Paramount Press Express page lists President Donald J. Trump as the 2025 host.

A weekly calendar is handy for noting the air week once a network and date are named.

What should you check next?

• The honoree announcement, which the center has said will come at a later day.
• The broadcast partner, expected later this fall according to CBS News.
• The air date and any streaming service, which no report has given yet.