Festivals

Current & Future Festivals

Joyful Sounds: Gospel Across America
April 18 - 25, 2010
An in-depth look at gospel music with a mixture of free and ticketed events featuring Richard Smallwood, Shirley Caesar, Take 6, Kirk Franklin, Marietta Simpson, Mavis Staples, and others.
2010 International VSA arts Festival
June 6 - 12, 2010
VSA arts brings together artists, educators, researchers, and policy makers with disabilities from around the world for a multicultural celebration of the arts and arts education. The citywide festival features visual, performing, literary, and media artists, as well as a guest list that includes more than 2,000 participants from all corners of the globe.

Past Festivals

You're Home for the Holidays
November & December 2009
Whether you're a Washingtonian or visiting from far away, you'll feel at home with these performances full of holiday cheer!
25th Annual Open House Arts Festival
September 12, 2009
The Kennedy Center Open House Arts Festival celebrates its 25th anniversary with a free day of fun for everyone in the family; this year the theme is Stage and Street Spectacular.
Multicultural Children's Book Festival
September 12, 2009
Books come to life in this annual event featuring readings, book signings, and other activities with special guests. Books are available for purchase.
CrossCurrents: Contemporary Music Week
May 1 - 10, 2009
Curated by composer and conductor Oliver Knussen and Joseph Kalichstein, Kennedy Center Artistic Director for Fortas Chamber Music Concerts, CrossCurrents presents 17 orchestral, chamber orchestra, and chamber music events celebrating 15 of today's finest living composers.
Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival
April 14 - 18, 2009
Through state, regional, and national festivals, KCACTF participants celebrate the creative process, see one another's work, and share experiences and insights within the community of theater artists.
Arabesque: Arts of the Arab World
February 23 - March 15, 2009
The Kennedy Center presents three weeks of theater, dance, music, design, fashion and food imported from 22 Arab countries.
You're Home for the Holidays
November & December 2008
Whether you're a Washingtonian or visiting from far away, you'll feel at home with these performances full of holiday cheer!
Multicultural Children's Book Festival
November 1, 2008
Books come to life in this afternoon-long series of readings, book signings and other activities with special guests.
The Seventh Annual Prelude
August 30 - October 5 2008
Our 7th annual pre-season Prelude celebration - this year showcasing outstanding performing arts from all 50 states!
24th Annual Open House Arts Festival
September 13 2008
The Kennedy Center is kicking off its 37th birthday with a free day of fun for everyone in the family celebrating American innovators and artists carrying on and developing traditions.
A Cappella: Singing Solo
May & June 2008
The Kennedy Center celebrates the power of the human voice with performances by artists from all around the world, including many free concerts on the Millennium Stage.
Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival
April 14 - 20, 2008
Started in 1969 by Roger L. Stevens, the Kennedy Center's founding chairman, the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF) is a national theater program involving 18,000 students from colleges and universities nationwide which has served as a catalyst in improving the quality of college theater in the United States.
JAPAN! culture + hyperculture
February 2008
Experience the richness and diversity of the arts of Japan! Over 2 weeks, more than 450 artists will be featured in nearly 50 performances of music, dance, and theater, plus many exhibits, lectures, and free events.
You're Home for the Holidays
November & December 2007
Whether you're a Washingtonian or visiting from far away, you'll feel at home with these performances full of holiday cheer!
Multicultural Children's Book Festival
November 3, 2007
Books come to life in this afternoon-long series of readings, book signings and other activities with special guest stars.
The Sixth Annual Prelude
September 2007
The sixth annual festival is a spectacular pre-season celebration of the best performing arts from Washington and the world.
23nd Annual Open House Arts Festival
September 8 2007
This annual, daylong indoor and outdoor event celebrates the Kennedy Center's birthday with more than 30 free performances of music, dance, and theater, plus many other events and activities for the whole family.
12th Annual Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival
May 10-12, 2007
Lynn Arriale, Hiromi, Stephanie Jordan, Karen Briggs, and many others perform at the festival, featuring ticketed concerts and free events.
Shakespeare in Washington
January - June 2007
More than 70 arts organizations from Washington and the world celebrate the Bard's life and work through performances, films, exhibits, and more at the Kennedy Center and other D.C. venues.
The Kennedy Center's 11th Annual Multicultural Children's Book Festival
November 4, 2006
Books come to life in this afternoon-long series of readings, book signings, and other activities featuring many special guests, including celebrity authors, illustrators, and performers.
Arts of Japan Celebration
March 25-April 9, 2006
The Kennedy Center commemorates its longtime relationship with Japan through performances by Japanese artists during D.C.'s Cherry Blossom Festival.
Country: A Celebration of America's Music
March 20–April 9
Presented in partnership with the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Festival of China
October 2005
The single largest celebration of Chinese performing arts in American history. A four-week showcase of China's best and brightest musicians, dancers, puppeteers, actors, directors, choreographers, acrobats, and more.
Masters of African American Choreography
April 21-26, 2005
The Kennedy Center presents an unprecedented exploration of African American choreographers' contributions to the world of modern dance in six programs shared by multiple companies.
A New America: The 1940s and the Arts
The Catherine B. Reynolds Foundation Series for Artistic Excellence
January-June 2005
The Kennedy Center embarks upon the largest festival in its history with an in-depth look at one of our nation's most artistically prolific and significant decades.
AmericArtes: Espíritu de Puerto Rico
September 7-26, 2004
The fourth exciting year of this Kennedy Center festival celebrates the vibrant spirit of la Isla del Encanto—the enchanted island—with premier Puerto Rican music, dance, theater, literature, and visual arts.
Tennessee Williams Explored
April-August 2004
The Kennedy Center honors one of America's greatest playwrights with brand-new productions of A Streetcar Named Desire, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, The Glass Menagerie, and more.
Festival of France
January-April 2004
Featuring Opéra Comique, Théâtre National de Chaillot, Théâtre de l'Atelier, and Les Arts Florissants.
Tchaikovsky Festival
December 2003
The Kirov Ballet, the Kirov Opera with Valery Gergiev, Yo-Yo Ma, Yefim Bronfman, and many more celebrate this revered Russian composer.
Soundtracks: Music and Film
January 2003
Along with the National Symphony Orchestra, festival co-directors Leonard Slatkin and John Williams bring the music of the movies to the Concert Hall.
Sondheim Celebration
May 2002-September 2002
The Kennedy Center Sondheim Celebration made theater history as it celebrated one of theater’s great creative talents in a summer-long festival featuring six of Stephen Sondheim's most memorable musicals.
National Symphony Orchestra: Journey to America
January 31 2002–February 9 2002
Leonard Slatkin and the National Symphony Orchestra performed a fascinating two-week festival showcasing the works of composers who followed their muse to America.