Yes, the center has been closed since September 15, 2026.
In February 2026 U.S. Pres. Donald Trump announced that the Kennedy Center would be closing in July for renovations. The construction was expected to take two years. Trump called the center “tired, broken, and dilapidated” and said that the renovations would transform it into “the finest Performing Arts Facility of its kind.” The announcement came amid backlash over various changes, including the board’s decision in 2025 to change the name to The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts. A number of entertainers and others canceled performances, and ticket sales plummeted. A federal judge ruled that only Congress can change the name of the center, despite the center’s board of trustees saying that it would be impossible to raise money without the president’s support, which would only come if his name appeared on the building. In early September a section of the ceiling of the center’s Grand Foyer collapsed during a storm. On September 15 the board again voted to immediately close the facility, which had largely ceased to operate as a performing arts venue. Also in September, President Trump was seen with a poster that indicated potential plans to demolish the center. In response, a federal judge ordered that the court be given 30 days’ notice before any construction work could begin. Thousands of area residents, fearing that Trump would demolish the center, as he did the East Wing of the White House for a ballroom, formed a human chain around the perimeter of the building.