Serving as a heart for the performing arts in the United States, this centre offers a free performance every night of the year.
Washington, D.C.’s John F. Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts, or simply The Kennedy Centre, is a mecca for live entertainment in the U.S. With multiple theatres, there’s a venue to perfectly match every type of event. Buy tickets for a performance by the Washington National Opera, the National Symphony Orchestra, the centre’s own ballet company or a current event.
Share the dream that became a reality years after President Dwight D. Eisenhower first conceptualized it in 1958. He believed a major cultural establishment was required in the nation’s capital. President John F. Kennedy continued pursuing the dream and conducted a number of fundraising events at the White House.
In 1964, the year following Kennedy’s assassination, President Lyndon Johnson turned the first soil to begin the centre’s construction. Visit the centre, which serves as a memorial to the 35th president for his contribution to the arts and the nation. The site is commemorated with a 1.5-ton (1.4-metric-ton) bust of Kennedy. With the centre’s status as a memorial, the federal government maintains the building’s maintenance however, ticket sales, donations and private gifts fund ongoing cultural components.
The centre opened its doors in September 1971 with a show by Leonard Bernstein honouring President Kennedy. Part of the centre’s mandate is to make the arts accessible to everyone. Attend a free daily event held in the early evening at the Millennium Stage.
The most recent extensions to the building have provided additional classroom and rehearsal space, public gardens and an outdoor video wall. Take a free tour of the centre, which has full accessibility. At the end of the tour you’ll be on the roof terrace with a panoramic view of the city. Reserve a table in advance for dinner at the rooftop restaurant.
Find The Kennedy Centre in the city’s northwestern quadrant on F Street on the banks of the Potomac River. A free shuttle runs between the centre and Foggy Bottom-GWU-Kennedy Centre Metro station. Parking is also available for a fee in the centre’s garage.
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