The Washington Capitals will be playing the Pittsburgh Penguins in their Home Opener next week, but one familiar part of the festivities will be missing.
The club announced Thursday that, because of ongoing renovations at Capital One Arena, which include construction on F Street, it will not host its annual “Rock the Red Carpet” event. The pregame tradition allows fans to try to get photos and autographs from players as they walk into the arena for the first real action of the season.
The cancellation is tied to the much larger construction project surrounding the team’s home rink. Exterior construction is currently underway, with scaffolding and overhead protection surrounding much of the venue along 7th Street, F Street, 6th Street, and the Gallery Place alleys. The F Street entrance has also been relocated closer to the Metro stop at the corner of 7th and F Streets.
The major updates to the arena’s exterior and interior are expected to be completed before doors open for Capitals and Wizards games next fall. The final phase of construction, “final interior improvements and Grand Pavilion completion,” is expected to be finished by the end of summer 2027.
While there will be no red carpet, a few activations will still take place ahead of next Wednesday’s game. The Capitals are inviting fans to attend an open practice at MedStar Capitals Iceplex on the morning of October 7, where supporters can watch the team’s morning skate and receive giveaways.
Fans attending the game later that night will also receive a 2026-27 schedule magnet, while the first 1,000 Capital One cardholders entering through the dedicated entrance will receive a Capitals beanie.
The team is also holding a Capitals Home Opener Scavenger Hunt through October 4 and hosting a season kickoff bar crawl during Friday’s season opener against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Correction: A previous version of this post incorrectly stated that the major updates to the arena’s exterior and interior were expected to be completed before doors open for Capitals and Wizards games this fall (2026), not next fall (2027).
