Capital One Arena pulls back the curtain on its $1 billion makeover - and it looks nothing like what you remember
Monumental Sports dropped new renderings and locked in a 20-year naming rights extension with Capital One on Aug. 11, giving D.C. fans the clearest picture yet of the rebuilt arena set to open for the 2027-28 season.
In brief
Capital One Arena pulls back the curtain on its $1 billion makeover - and it looks nothing like what you remember
For the better part of two years, fans going to Capitals and Wizards games at Capital One Arena on F Street NW have walked past scaffolding, squeezed through temporary entrances, and taken it on faith that whatever was happening behind the construction barriers would be worth it. On Tuesday, August 11, Monumental Sports & Entertainment finally showed them what they paid for.
MSE and Capital One released new renderings of the arena's redesigned exterior and heavily upgraded interior, along with a significant piece of business news: Monumental Sports & Entertainment and Capital One announced a 20-year extension of the naming rights agreement, keeping the Capital One name on the arena for another two decades as Monumental prepares to complete the venue's major redevelopment ahead of the 2027-28 NBA and NHL seasons.
That's not a tweak. That's a commitment - from both sides - that this building is D.C.'s sports home for a long time to come.
What's actually changing
The renderings show a venue that barely resembles the one that opened in 1997. Monumental touted an 'iconic new exterior' and a 'Visibowl' designed to give 'dramatic sightlines directly into the arena from the heart of the concourse.' That Visibowl concept is the most talked-about addition - it's described as a first-of-its-kind feature providing direct sightlines into the arena bowl from the concourse. Whether that actually transforms the gameday feel or just photographs well remains to be seen, but the idea is that you don't lose track of the action when you step out to grab a beer.
Speaking of beer: the food and beverage overhaul is drastic. Instead of three kitchens, the renovated arena will have 14 or 15. Anyone who has stood in a concession line at Capital One Arena during a third-period push knows exactly why that number matters.
New renderings show the arena's redesigned exterior and planned upgrades to the District Level, formerly the 100 Level, and Terrace Level, formerly the 400 Level. The concourses are getting a full gut-and-rebuild: the sidewalks on F Street, 6th, and 7th streets will eventually be made wider, the concourses themselves will be wider, and there will be more escalators and elevators.
There's also a new dedicated entrance for Capital One cardholders. That cardholder entry will move to F Street and open to events beyond Wizards and Capitals games. And a new food hall is planned for the Terrace Level along the F Street side of the building.
Monumental gained 200,000 new square feet in its deal with D.C. to stay in Penn Quarter instead of fleeing to Virginia. That extra space is where a lot of the new hospitality and gathering areas are coming from.
The money, the timeline, and the teams inside it
The $1 billion-plus transformation of Capital One Arena has reached a major milestone with the release of new renderings showing the venue's redesigned exterior and upgraded fan spaces. The original figure thrown around when the project was approved was closer to $800 million; the total has climbed since.
The arena has been under construction since shortly after the D.C. Council approved legislation in December 2024 that contributed $515 million of city funds to the building's refresh and kept the Capitals and Wizards in D.C. through 2050. The political fight over that public money was real, and contentious. The renderings released this week are, in part, how MSE justifies it.
The renovations are being completed in phases, with the entire transformation scheduled to be finished before the start of the 2027-28 NHL and NBA seasons. The transformed arena will remain home to the Washington Capitals, Washington Wizards, and Georgetown men's basketball, while also hosting select Washington Mystics games, concerts, and other events - with approximately 250 events expected to take place annually once the project is completed.
MSE also used the moment to narrate its vision with some familiar faces. The company showcased its plans in an accompanying video narrated by former Capitals winger TJ Oshie, former Wizards guard John Wall, and former Mystics forward Elena Delle Donne. Nostalgia-forward, yes, but it signals who the audience is meant to be: longtime D.C. sports fans who remember the good years and want them back.
Big events already on the books
Monumental isn't waiting for the ribbon-cutting to land marquee events. The venue is scheduled to host the 2027 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Championship - the Frozen Four - and the 2028 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Regional featuring Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games. Those bookings are a strong signal that the national governing bodies believe the renovation will deliver something close to what the renderings promise.
As for the Capitals and Wizards themselves: both teams have used this construction window to reload. After acquiring highly-priced wingers Alex Tuch and Jordan Kyrou this offseason, the Capitals made it clear that missing the playoffs during the remainder of Alex Ovechkin's NHL career is not an option. Ovechkin signed a one-year, $4.25 million contract with the Capitals for 2026-27, ending offseason uncertainty about whether he would continue his career. The rebuilt arena and a recharged roster are supposed to arrive at the same time. The scheduling is intentional.
Jim Van Stone, MSE's president of business operations, put it plainly in a statement: "Washington is entering an extraordinary new era, and the completely reimagined Capital One Arena will reflect the ambition, energy, and global stature of the city it represents."
Right now, on a warm Friday night in Landover, the Commanders are opening their preseason against the Dolphins at Northwest Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. Two miles from where workers are cutting rebar and hanging drywall at 7th and F, the city's sports week is moving on two tracks at once. The arena renderings at least give fans something to look at while they wait for games that actually count.
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CAN I KICK IT? screens New Jack City at the Sylvan Theater, Washington Monument, on Aug. 22. (Courtesy SHAOLIN JAZZ)
The live-cinema series CAN I KICK IT? returns to the National Mall this month with what its producers are calling the "Gangsters on the Mall" chapter of their free outdoor summer run. On Saturday, August 22, the SHAOLIN JAZZ production brings the 1991 crime classic New Jack City to the Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument for a night of film, music, and community under the DC summer sky.
What sets the event apart is the sound. As the film plays, DJ 2-Tone Jones builds an original score in real time, reimagining one of the most iconic crime movies of the ’90s through hip-hop, soul, funk, and more. It is less a movie screening than a live performance built around the film.
The details:
Film: New Jack City (1991), with a live soundtrack by DJ 2-Tone Jones
When: Saturday, August 22 — seating opens at 7:30 p.m. (bring lawn chairs and blankets); film begins at 8:30 p.m.
Where: Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument, Independence Ave SW & 15th St NW
A parking note from the organizers: expect road closures and restricted parking east of 14th Street NW due to a separate race event in the District. Roads west of 14th Street NW will be accessible and available for parking.
New Jack City is the second of three screenings in this year’s free CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series, which opened with Black Panther at Skyland Town Center and concludes with Scarface at the Lincoln Memorial on September 5. Produced by the Washington, DC-based multimedia arts company SHAOLIN JAZZ, the series has presented more than 150 live cinematic experiences at venues across the country, from Lincoln Center to SXSW.
"I wanted to be able to tell good stories with substance and remove the ‘ego’ out of the art," said Andrew Huang during a recent interview. Now, he’s building his career at the intersection of discipline, creativity and innovation.
Andrew Huang, founder of New Place Studios. (Courtesy photo)
As a Chinese American, Huang was reared with a deep respect for hard work, consistency and excellence. He describes his childhood as "not so affluent" and later attended college to hone his passion for videography. "In college I tried to do something I loved, which was video, but along the way I knew that I had to find a job. And so I thought, ‘what was the low hanging fruit to get to that stable 9 to 5 job?,’" he stated.
Later in life, Huang found himself working for corporations where his creativity was often limited, eventually leading to burnout. "I worked in a corporation for a long time and there were a lot of missing pieces. I wanted to fill in gaps missing in corporate video production," said Huang.
He later described how his upbringing and a mindset of "survival" led him toward a corporate career. However, his desire for balance and authentic storytelling ultimately pushed him to take the entrepreneurial leap.
"I founded a new place where you can create video and film with ‘substance and style,’" said Huang. His desire for work-life balance and passion for storytelling naturally evolved into a small business based in Virginia. With the launch of New Place Studios, the entrepreneur quickly found himself reconnecting with the values that would become the foundation of everything he creates behind the camera.
Huang said being a business owner has allowed him to first embrace himself. While others may see video as simply capturing moments, he sees it as a way to preserve stories that inspire, connect and leave a lasting imprint.
By combining cinematic visuals with cutting-edge production techniques and a keen understanding of branding, Huang helps organizations and individuals communicate their vision with purpose. He said understanding a client’s "why" serves as the compass for delivering the services they need.
One benefit of working with a small business, he said, is that clients get to see the production process unfold through a micro lens while working with the same faces throughout the entire project. "The work feels personal," said Huang.
Huang does not regret leaving behind the flash-over-substance mentality and corporate hustle culture. That does not mean the Asian American entrepreneur has been without challenges in the industry. "It’s relatively hard to find other Asian American creatives or people who would want to work with me in the DMV," said Huang.
He identifies the industry culture in which everyone is trying to blend in, creatives may fear displaying their Asian identity and some feel pressure to adopt an American corporate persona. He also points to what he describes as a level of gatekeeping within the industry. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 2024 statistics, Asian American and Pacific Islander entrepreneurs own more than 3 million businesses and employ 5.2 million people in the United States.
After tapping into organizations such as SCORE, which offers free small business mentorship, New Place Studios has become a trusted creative partner throughout the DMV (Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia). The company produces a range of creative services, including commercials, corporate branding, documentaries, film, 2D animation, motion graphics and photography.
For Huang, entrepreneurship has become more than a departure from corporate life. It has given him the freedom to create with intention, build meaningful connections and tell stories that go beyond the surface.
The 2026 CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series. Poster courtesy of SHAOLIN JAZZ.
For three Saturdays this summer, some of Washington’s most familiar public spaces will do something they rarely do after dark: fill up with blankets, lawn chairs, and the sound of a movie being scored live, in real time. CAN I KICK IT?, the traveling “live cinema” series produced by the DC-based multimedia arts company SHAOLIN JAZZ, is bringing a free outdoor run to the city — pairing three era-defining films with an original soundtrack performed on the spot by DJ 2-Tone Jones.
The premise is what sets it apart from a normal screening in the park. Rather than simply pressing play, 2-Tone Jones builds a score as the film unfolds, pulling from hip-hop, soul, funk, jazz, rock, electronic music, and sounds from around the world. The result, the organizers say, is less a movie night than a one-time performance — the same film you know, wired to a soundtrack you have never heard and will not hear again. Guest DJs warm up the crowd starting at 7:30 PM before each 8:30 PM screening.
The 2026 outdoor schedule
All three events are free and open to the public.
Saturday, August 8 — Black Panther at Skyland Town Center. A pop-up marketplace and community activities kick off the evening; guest DJs at 7:30 PM, film at 8:30 PM. Marvel’s superhero epic gets a one-night-only live score in Southeast DC.
Saturday, August 22 — New Jack City at the Sylvan Theater, Washington Monument. Seating begins at 7:30 PM; the film starts at 8:30 PM. The 1991 crime drama plays out at the foot of one of the country’s most recognizable landmarks.
Saturday, September 5 — Scarface at the Lincoln Memorial. Seating at 7:30 PM; film at 8:30 PM. The series closes with Brian De Palma’s crime saga against the backdrop of the Memorial, scored live from start to finish.
First up: Black Panther at Skyland Town Center on August 8. Poster courtesy of SHAOLIN JAZZ.
A DC company with a national footprint
SHAOLIN JAZZ describes itself as a Washington-based arts company working at the intersection of music, film, art, and culture, and CAN I KICK IT? is its signature production. According to the organizers, the series has staged more than 150 live cinematic experiences around the country — at performing arts centers, museums, festivals, and cultural institutions including Lincoln Center in New York, SXSW, the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Republic Square in Austin, the Tacoma Armory, and The Cary Theater.
“CAN I KICK IT? has always been about creating a shared experience,” said Gerald Watson, co-founder of SHAOLIN JAZZ. “When you combine iconic films with live music in public spaces, something special happens. People aren’t just watching a movie — they’re experiencing it together. That’s what makes these nights so memorable.”
Cinema as a community event
The DC run lands as cities across the country look for new ways to activate public space through arts and culture — and this series is a straightforward pitch for how to do it: take a landmark everyone already knows, add a film everyone has an opinion about, and let a live soundtrack turn the evening into something neighbors experience shoulder to shoulder. Families, film buffs, and music fans are all invited, and admission won’t cost a thing.
The CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series runs August 8, August 22, and September 5. All events are free; check SHAOLIN JAZZ (shaolinjazz.com) for the latest details and any weather updates before heading out.
