Series/Festivals

Current & Future

Your Home for the Holidays
November & December 2020
Whether you're a Washingtonian or visiting from far away, you'll feel at home with these performances full of holiday cheer!
SHIFT: A Festival of American Orchestras
March 24-31, 2020
SHIFT celebrates the vitality, identity, and extraordinary artistry of orchestras and chamber orchestras by creating an immersive festival experience in the nation's capital.
Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival
April 2020
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.
WORLD STAGES
Ongoing
The World Stages Series offers D.C. audiences the unique opportunity to experience the world’s best productions – all under one roof.
Hip Hop Culture
Ongoing
The Hip Hop Culture program at the Kennedy Center recognizes Hip Hop's contributions to global culture and its power to build and transform communities through art and action. Through this programmatic platform, the Center aims to create a dynamic home for Hip Hop and celebrate its role as a catalyst for innovation, exploration and transformation.
Renée Fleming VOICES
Ongoing
The Renée Fleming VOICES series explores the remarkable range and expression of the human voice through a diverse number of talented singers, composers, and other vocal artists.
Mason Bates, KC Jukebox
Ongoing
The genre-bending DJ and composer extraordinaire returns to the Kennedy Center to present a range of innovative music experiences, including the second season of his KC Jukebox immersive concert series and more.
DECLASSIFIED: Fridays at 9 with the National Symphony Orchestra
Ongoing
The secret is out! Select NSO Fridays are taking on a whole new vibe with this innovative mix of classic and modern sounds, special guest artists, dynamic multimedia, audience interaction, and exciting activities before and after the show—all at great price.
Sound Health
Ongoing
Sound Health, designed to explore the connections between music, health, and wellness, is a new partnership between The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the National Institutes of Health, the National Endowment for the Arts, and renowned soprano Renée Fleming.
Direct Current
Ongoing
Modern masterpieces, cutting-edge composition, dance, drag, film, jazz, electronica, ecology, and activism all converge in a two-week celebration of contemporary culture with works new to Washington audiences on every program.

Past

SHIFT: A Festival of American Orchestras
March 24-31, 2020
SHIFT celebrates the vitality, identity, and extraordinary artistry of orchestras and chamber orchestras by creating an immersive festival experience in the nation's capital.
The REACH Opening Festival
September 7-22, 2019
At Opening Day, experience the colorful spectrum of what the full festival, and the future of our expanded campus, has in store. Together, we’ll collectively engage all of our senses and start making our mark on D.C.’s new home for creativity in action.
Page to Stage Festival
August 31, 2019 - September 2, 2019
The Kennedy Center annually hosts more than 50 Washington-area theater companies in a series of free readings and open rehearsals of plays and musicals. This three-day event gives audiences a look at new works being prepared for Washington premieres in the upcoming season.
Lunar New Year Celebration
Febuary 7-16 2019
Join us to celebrate the year of the pig with three days of festivities, including special events showcasing the arts and culture of China's Guangdong Province. The region is home to the “best mooncakes in China” and famous for the Lion Dance.
The Human Journey
October 1, 2018 - August 4, 2019
The Human Journey is a collaboration between the Kennedy Center, National Geographic Society, and the National Gallery of Art in the 2018-2019 season that strives to promote deeper understanding of issues like migration (forced or by choice), exploration, identity, and the resilience of people to overcome the barriers and behaviors that stand in our way.
Page to Stage Festival
September 1 – September 3, 2018
The Kennedy Center annually hosts more than 50 Washington-area theater companies in a series of free readings and open rehearsals of plays and musicals. This three-day event gives audiences a look at new works being prepared for Washington premieres in the upcoming season.
Leonard Bernstein at 100
September 2017 – August 2018
Beginning September, 2017, the Kennedy Center will be the centerpiece for the launch of a yearlong international centennial celebration of iconic American composer, conductor, pianist, educator, and humanitarian Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990). We invite you to join us to honor his legacy by experiencing some of his most cherished works.
District of Comedy Festival
July 19 – 21, 2018
The Kennedy Center presents its second annual all-star showcase of celebrated comedians headlining venues all around the building, along with a collaboration with Chicago's legendary comedy theater The Second City.
Artes de Cuba
May 8-20, 2018
For two weeks this spring, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts will present Artes de Cuba: From the Island to the World, a festival celebrating the artistic richness that has emerged from this "island archipelago in the sun." This unprecedented gathering of Cuban and Cuban American artists represents some of the world's greatest from the island and the Diaspora.