2026 Kennedy Center Honorees Announced: Paul Anka, David Foster, Barbara Mandrell, David Mamet, and Andy Garcia
The 49th Kennedy Center Honors will be held at Capital One Arena, the first time the gala has left its home at the Kennedy Center Opera House since the awards began in 1978.
The 2026 Kennedy Center Honorees have been officially announced: pop singer-songwriter Paul Anka, composer and producer David Foster, country star Barbara Mandrell, playwright David Mamet, and actor Andy Garcia. The Kennedy Center Honors is an annual lifetime achievement celebration of artists who have shaped American culture through the performing arts. The 49th gala ceremony takes place Monday, December 7, 2026.
The 2026 Honorees
- Paul Anka: The pop singer-songwriter has been writing hits since the 1950s. His catalog includes “Diana,” and he wrote the English lyrics to “My Way,” the song most associated with Frank Sinatra.
- David Foster: The 16-time Grammy-winning composer and producer has shaped the sound of adult contemporary and pop ballads for decades, working with a long list of the biggest vocalists in the business.
- Barbara Mandrell: The country music star was one of the genre’s biggest personalities of the late 1970s and early 1980s, and is known for her multi-instrument musicianship and the hit “I Was Country When Country Wasn’t Cool.”
- David Mamet: The Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright is known for sharp, rhythmic dialogue in stage works such as American Buffalo and Glengarry Glen Ross, and he has also written for film.
- Andy Garcia: The Oscar-nominated actor has been a screen presence since the late 1980s, with roles in The Untouchables and The Godfather Part III, the latter earning his nomination.
As usual, the class mixes music and the stage and screen. Two songwriters and producers with deep radio-hit catalogs, a country star, a playwright, and an actor represent several parts of American performing arts in a single year.
A Historic Change of Venue
For the first time since the awards began in 1978, the gala will not be held in the Kennedy Center Opera House. The ceremony moves to Capital One Arena in downtown Washington, D.C., a much larger venue.
The move comes amid an ongoing political and legal dispute involving the center’s Trump-aligned board of trustees. According to reports from the Los Angeles Times, USA Today, and Variety, the main building remains closed indefinitely while a legal battle plays out over building maintenance, funding, and an administration push to add President Trump’s name to the facade.
The shift to an arena is a notable change in scale for a ceremony known for its intimate format. Details on the program, presenters, and tribute performances were not part of the initial announcement.
