Building hours

During a lapse in federal appropriations and government shutdown, all building operations, including performances, will continue as normal, with the Kennedy Center opening to the public at 10 am daily. Please see our event calendar for specific daily performance times.

The Kennedy Center's public hours are as follows:

• The building will open to the public from 10 am to 12 midnight daily. 
• The new JFK Exhibit will be open from 12 noon to midnight daily.
• The Kennedy Center Box Office will open for regular hours Monday–Saturday, 10 a.m.–9 p.m., Sunday, noon–9 p.m.
• Tours will continue to be offered under a normal schedule
• The KC Café will be open Monday - Sunday, 11:30 a.m. - 8 p.m.

The Kennedy Center Shuttle Buses from the Metro will continue to operate on regular or holiday schedules, as applicable. The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (the "Kennedy Center" or "Center") is a trust instrumentality of the United States government, authorized and governed pursuant to 20 U.S.C. 76h et seq. Pursuant to its authorizing legislation, the Kennedy Center serves a dual public purpose — it is the sole federal memorial to John F. Kennedy within the city of Washington, DC, and it is the National Center for the Performing Arts (20 U.S.C. 76j). The Kennedy Center is maintained as a free public building and is open 365 days a year from 10 am until 12 am.

The Kennedy Center receives a federal appropriation for operations and maintenance of the Center's public spaces, which includes approximately 60 federal employees who handle contracting, project management, facilities services and maintenance of the physical plant, as well as federally funded contracts for security and housekeeping services and construction and maintenance projects. The Center is explicitly prohibited from using appropriated funds "for any direct expense incurred in the production of a performing arts attraction, for personnel who are involved in performing arts administration (including any supply or equipment used by the personnel), or for production, staging, public relations, marketing, fundraising, ticket sales, or education" (20 U.S.C. 76r (e)). The Kennedy Center, as a charitable trust, uses a combination of earned income, contributions and grants to perform its performing arts and educational functions.

In the event of a Government shutdown, the Kennedy Center will continue its non-appropriated functions and honor all non-appropriated fund contracts, including planned performances, educational activities, public trust functions (such as the Kennedy Center Box Office, Retail and Parking Operations), and employment activities for its approximately 1,150 trust employees.

With two-year spending authority, the Kennedy Center will maintain normal operating hours until such time as remaining funds are insufficient to continue. At that time the Center would proceed with an orderly shutdown of federally funded activities as described below. Federal operations will be curtailed to the extent possible and nonessential federal personnel will be furloughed. Employees who are not designated as excepted will be given up to four (4) hours to complete an orderly shutdown on their next reporting date and will be released from work until funding is restored and full operations with normal business resumes.

Excepted employees performing the following activities that fall under direct appropriations will continue to work in order to protect life and property: 

• The Center will continue to utilize security personnel necessary to protect the building patrons, and visitors. The Center’s security contractor will continue at staffing levels commensurate with normal operating hours and performance activities.
• The Center will reduce mechanical, electrical and plumbing personnel and defer preventative maintenance, but will maintain on-site personnel to protect life and property and maintain normal operating hours with on call response from additional appropriated personnel as necessary to resolve emergencies.
• Emergency services for essential systems such as fire alarm, electronic security, elevators, emergency generator, fire pump, and critical central plant systems will be maintained.
• The Center will continue to utilize housekeeping and trash removal to protect people and property, with a focus on patron areas.
• Forward funded contracts and other contracts funded with no-year or prior years’ money shall continue as scheduled. Contracting staff needed to ensure continued progress for ongoing projects will be maintained.

The Kennedy Center is prohibited from accepting voluntary services from federal employees to continue their regular duties and staff who are not excepted will not be permitted to work at the Kennedy Center, from home, or another site and may not access Kennedy Center email.

In the event of a shutdown, notices will be posted on the Kennedy Center’s main website that normal operating hours will be maintained (http://www.kennedy-center.org). In the event that remaining funds are insufficient to continue with normal operating hours, shutdown notices will be posted at public entrances to the Kennedy Center to inform the visiting public of the reduced hours of operation and the Center’s website will be updated accordingly.

Furloughed employees should consult the Office of Personnel Management's website and monitor local television and radio stations for information about returning to duty.

Lapse Plan Summary Overview

Estimated time (to nearest half day) required to complete shutdown activities:	# 0.5 days
Total number of agency employees expected to be on board before implementation of the plan:	# 53 employees
Total number of employees to be retained under the plan for each of the following categories (may include duplicated counts):
Compensation is financed by a resource other than annual appropriations:	# 31 employees
Necessary to perform activities expressly authorized by law:	# 5 employees
Necessary to perform activities necessarily implied by law:	# 0 employees
Necessary to the discharge of the President's constitutional duties and powers:	# 0 employees

Revised September 2022