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Our Story
Welcome to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, a vibrant cultural hub that connects thousands of artists with millions of people each year — in person, online, and in their home communities.
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Introduction
In 1958, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed bipartisan legislation creating a National Cultural Center in the nation’s capital. In November of 1962, President and Mrs. Kennedy launched a $30 million fundraising campaign for the Center’s construction. Former President Eisenhower and his wife Mamie participated in the event which demonstrated the bipartisan support for a world-class center for the performing arts in D. C. In 1963, President Kennedy signed legislation to extend the fundraising deadline for the Center.
Two months after President Kennedy’s assassination, by an Act of Congress signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on January 23, 1964, the nation’s National Cultural Center was designated as a living memorial to President John F. Kennedy. By this Act, President Kennedy’s devotion to the advancement of the performing arts in the United States was recognized.
In 1958, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed bipartisan legislation creating a National Cultural Center in the nation’s capital. In November of 1962, President and Mrs. Kennedy launched a $30 million fundraising campaign for the Center’s construction. Former President Eisenhower and his wife Mamie participated in the event which demonstrated the bipartisan support for a world-class center for the performing arts in D. C. In 1963, President Kennedy signed legislation to extend the fundraising deadline for the Center.
Two months after President Kennedy’s assassination, by an Act of Congress signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on January 23, 1964, the nation’s National Cultural Center was designated as a living memorial to President John F. Kennedy. By this Act, President Kennedy’s devotion to the advancement of the performing arts in the United States was recognized.
The Kennedy Center's 50th Anniversary Season
Kennedy Center 50th Anniversary Season Video
Join the Celebration
The Kennedy Center is a hub for wonder, creativity, transformation, and possibility — celebrating 50 years of world-class art, powerful education, and our role as the JFK memorial. As we look to the bright future ahead, we recognize that our history lives in the leaders, staff, artists, donors, and audiences that make it a “living” memorial.
If These Halls Could Talk: My KC Stories
Watch video interviews with the staff, artists, and artistic community that have made the Center a living memorial sharing stories from our history.
We also invite the community to submit a memory of their experience at the Kennedy Center over the past 50 years on social media using #KenCen50th and #KenCenStories.
If These Halls Could Talk: My KC Stories
Watch video interviews with the staff, artists, and artistic community that have made the Center a living memorial sharing stories from our history.
We also invite the community to submit a memory of their experience at the Kennedy Center over the past 50 years on social media using #KenCen50th and #KenCenStories.
We acknowledge that the Kennedy Center is standing on the traditional land of the Nacotchtank and Piscataway peoples past and present, and honor with gratitude the land itself and the people who have been the stewards of this land throughout the generations.
Social Impact Initiatives at the Kennedy Center
Explore our iterative strategies and specific actions to foster anti-racism within the Kennedy Center organization and across the performing arts.
Explore Our History
See an interactive visual timeline of the Kennedy Center — from its conception in the late 1950s through the opening in 1971 and great moments leading up to what will soon be our 50th anniversary.
Introducing the REACH
Experience Our Future
On September 7, 2019, the Kennedy Center inaugurated its expanded campus with the opening of the REACH.
Explore the REACH and its programming here.
Other highlights of the 2019–2020 season include the NSO’s performance and recording of all nine Beethoven symphonies under the baton of Music Director Gianandrea Noseda, WNO’s world premiere of Blue, and the return of Broadway Center Stage. At the start of the 2021–2022 season, the Center begins celebrations of its 50th anniversary.
Across all that we do, the Kennedy Center strives to cultivate a culture of inclusiveness, in which our art and our audiences are as rich, diverse, and ever-changing as America itself. Whether you’re visiting our campus in Washington, D.C., tuning in to our Digital Stage, or learning through our education programs, we invite you to experience, explore, and engage with the arts.
A Year at the Kennedy Center
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2 million visitors
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1.6 million ticket buyers
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1.4 million students served
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2,200+ performances & exhibits
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400+ free performances & events
Fast facts
- The Kennedy Center’s operating budget is composed primarily of ticket revenue and private philanthropy. As a living memorial to President John F. Kennedy, the Kennedy Center receives an annual federal appropriation for capital repairs and maintenance of its facilities.
- The Kennedy Center has education and outreach programs in all 50 states and 29 countries.
- The Kennedy Center Friends is a 600-person strong volunteer corps representing 58 countries and speaking 27 languages.
More About Us
Careers
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Rentals
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Leadership
Meet our senior leaders and board.