The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, recently renamed the Donald J. Trump and the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, is set to close for approximately two years beginning this July 4.
President Donald Trump announced the decision in a Truth Social post, stating that the closure will allow for “Construction, Revitalization, and Complete Rebuilding” of the facility. The move follows a period of review by contractors, arts experts, and advisers, with the goal of transforming the center into what Trump described as a “new and spectacular entertainment complex.”
The center, located along the Potomac River in Washington, D.C., has been a key venue for performing arts since its opening in 1971. It hosts hundreds of events annually, including concerts, theater productions, and ballet performances, and serves as home to resident companies such as the National Symphony Orchestra and the Washington National Opera.
This past December, President Trump announced that the venue would be renamed after the center’s board voted to incorporate his name as a tribute.
Trump emphasized that a full closure would enable faster and higher-quality work compared to partial operations during construction. “I have determined that the fastest way to bring The Trump Kennedy Center to the highest level of Success, Beauty, and Grandeur, is to cease Entertainment Operations for an approximately two year period of time,” he wrote, adding that the “temporary closure will produce a much faster and higher quality result!”
He further stated that the grand reopening would “rival and surpass anything that has taken place with respect to such a Facility before.”
Trump added that funding for the project is already secure, though he did not provide exact details. Previous White House renovations authorized by the president have been privately funded.
Interim Director Richard Grenell supported the plan, stating on social media that the center “desperately needs this renovation and temporarily closing the Center just makes sense,” describing it as “a brief closure in retrospect.”
This is not the first time the Kennedy Center has undergone significant renovations. In 2019, it completed The REACH, a $250 million expansion adding rehearsal spaces, classrooms, and outdoor venues to enhance public access and education programs. Earlier renovations in the 1990s addressed structural issues, including roof repairs and accessibility improvements.
The closure’s timing aligns with the nation’s 250th anniversary celebrations on July 4, 2026, which Trump highlighted as symbolic.
