The Kennedy Center has announced its 2026 honorees: singer and songwriter Paul Anka, composer David Foster, actor Andy Garcia, writer David Mamet and musician Barbara Mandrell will receive the 49th Kennedy Center Honors on 7 December.
FAKTA
- The 2026 Kennedy Center Honorees are Paul Anka, David Foster, Andy Garcia, David Mamet and Barbara Mandrell.
- The announcement was made on Monday, 2 November 2026.
- The 49th Kennedy Center Honors will be held on 7 December at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.
- For the first time, the ceremony will not be held at the Kennedy Center itself, but at the larger Capital One Arena.
- The honorees range in age from Andy Garcia, 70, to Paul Anka, 85; Anka and Foster were born in Canada and Garcia was born in Cuba.
Kennedy Center Honors 2026 announced
The Kennedy Center announced the latest set of artists to receive Kennedy Center Honors for lifetime achievement on 2 November. The honorees were selected based on recommendations by the Kennedy Center’s Special Honors Advisory Committee, which includes former honorees, artists and members of the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees.
The Kennedy Center Honors were established in 1978 and have been given to a broad range of artists in music, dance, theatre, opera, motion pictures and television.
Who the 2026 honorees are
Paul Anka, 85, has spent nearly 70 years in the music industry and wrote the hit “Diana” at the age of 15. David Foster, 77, is a celebrated composer and record producer with 16 Grammy Awards, along with an Emmy and a Golden Globe.
Andy Garcia, 70, is known for his film career including “Ocean’s Eleven”, while Barbara Mandrell is a celebrated country singer and David Mamet is a playwright and filmmaker. Three of the five honorees were born outside the United States: Anka and Foster in Canada and Garcia in Cuba.
A new venue for the ceremony
Historically held in the 2,347-capacity Opera House of the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, this year’s ceremony will be held in a different location for the first time ever, at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., on 7 December.
The Kennedy Center announcement did not announce the programme’s broadcast partner for 2026. Last year’s honorees were George Strait, KISS, Michael Crawford, Gloria Gaynor and Sylvester Stallone, recognised in a December 2025 ceremony.
