When Are the Grammys 2026? Full Date, Venue, and Nomination Details Explained
When Are the Grammys 2026? Full Date, Venue, and Nomination Details Explained
The 68th Annual Grammy Awards—affectionately dubbed Music's Biggest Night—are locked in for Sunday, February 1, 2026, delivering another electric evening of jaw-dropping performances, tear-jerking speeches, and those golden gramophones that can make or redefine a career. Mark your calendars now: red-carpet glamour kicks off around 4 p.m. PT, the pre-telecast Premiere Ceremony streams at 12:30 p.m. PT, and the main broadcast blasts off live at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT on CBS and Paramount+ Premium.
The Venue: Crypto.com Arena – L.A.’s Grammy Fortress
For the 23rd consecutive year, the Grammys return home to the Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles. This 20,000-seat behemoth (formerly STAPLES Center) isn’t just an arena—it’s a cultural cathedral where Beyoncé shattered records, where Adele’s “25” swept the Big Four, and where Kendrick Lamar turned “Not Like Us” into a 2025 victory lap. Expect the usual upgrades: a 360-degree stage, pyrotechnic surprises, and a roof-raising sound system tuned for everything from whisper-quiet jazz solos to earth-shaking trap beats.
Pro tip for attendees:
Doors open ~3:30 p.m. PT
Parking hack: Pre-book at L.A. Live garages to dodge the $50 surge
Dress code: Black-tie meets avant-garde—think Gaga-level drama
Full Nomination Roadmap: From Studio to Stage
The Recording Academy dropped every single nominee on Friday, November 7, 2025, in a star-packed livestream featuring Chappell Roan, Lizzo, Karol G, and 20+ past winners. Here’s the exact timeline that turned bedroom demos into golden statues:
Eligibility Window
August 31, 2024 → August 30, 2025
(That’s why Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl lands in 2027 contention.)
Submission Sprint
July 16 – August 29, 2025: 22,000+ entries flooded the portal.
Round 1 Voting
October 3 – October 15, 2025: 11,000+ voting members whittled entries to 5–8 nominees per category.
Nominations Day
November 7, 2025 – 8 a.m. PT
Live on live.GRAMMY.com and YouTube.
Final Voting
December 12, 2025 – January 5, 2026
Ballots randomized for the first time ever—no alphabetical bias.
Premiere Ceremony
February 1, 2026 – 12:30 p.m. PT
Streams free on live.GRAMMY.com; hands out 80+ awards before the prime-time show.
The New Categories That Everyone’s Buzzing About
2026 introduces 95 categories—two shiny newcomers included:
Best Traditional Country Album
Splits the old Country field; think steel guitars, heartbreak ballads, and Willie Nelson vs. his son Lukas.Best Album Cover
Revives a fan-favorite prize; Wet Leg, Ssion (for Perfume Genius), and Bad Bunny’s neon-drenched art are early favorites.
Other rule tweaks:
Best New Artist now welcomes featured artists who contributed <20% to prior AOTY nominees.
Classical composers finally get credited alongside performers.
Musical Theater Albums can crown up to six principal vocalists.
The Big Four: Who’s Poised to Sweep?
Kendrick Lamar storms in with nine nominations, hot off his 2025 “Not Like Us” coronation. Lady Gaga, Jack Antonoff, and producer Cirkut each snag seven. Here are the crown-jewel categories:
Album of the Year
Bad Bunny – Ferxxo Vol. X: Sagrado
Justin Bieber – Redemption
Sabrina Carpenter – Fruitcake
Clipse (Pusha T & Malice) – Let God Sort Em Out
Lady Gaga – MAYHEM
Kendrick Lamar – GNX
Leon Thomas – MUTT Deluxe: HEEL
Tyler, The Creator – CHROMAKOPIA
Record of the Year
Bad Bunny – “DtMF”
Sabrina Carpenter – “Espresso”
Lady Gaga – “Abracadabra”
Kendrick Lamar – “Luther”
Leon Thomas – “Just How You Are”
SZA – “Saturn Returns”
Turnstile – “Holiday”
Tyler, The Creator – “St. Chroma”
Song of the Year (songwriters award)
“DtMF” – Bad Bunny & Tainy
“Abracadabra” – Lady Gaga, Andrew Watt, Cirkut
“Luther” – Kendrick Lamar, Sounwave, Jack Antonoff
Plus five more pen-to-paper masterpieces.
Best New Artist
Olivia Dean
Katseye
The Marías
Addison Rae
sombr
Leon Thomas
Alex Warren
Lola Young
History in the Making
Bad Bunny becomes the first Spanish-language artist nominated in Album, Record, and Song of the Year simultaneously.
If Kendrick wins AOTY, GNX ends a 22-year rap drought (since OutKast).
Jack Antonoff is the first producer-songwriter in all three general-field categories with two different acts in one year.
How to Watch (and Re-Watch)
Live TV: CBS
Streaming: Paramount+ (Premium tier for no commercials)
Red Carpet: E! from 4 p.m. PT; Grammy Live on YouTube/TikTok
International: Check local Paramount+ or YouTube geo-channels
Replay: Full show on-demand next day; performances drop instantly on GRAMMY.com
Fashion, Performers & Host Watch
Host TBA (Trevor Noah just wrapped five years—place your bets on Roan or Noah again). Performers leak in December, but early whispers point to a Kendrick-Gaga-Bad Bunny trifecta. Fashion? Expect Sabrina Carpenter to channel old-Hollywood fruitcake couture and Gaga to arrive in a meat-dress 2.0.
Why February 1 Matters Beyond the Trophies
Super Bowl LX kicks off one week later with Bad Bunny’s historic all-Spanish halftime show. Win or lose, February 2026 will crown the soundtrack of an entire cultural moment—Latin trap anthems, R&B reinventions, and country’s generational handover.
Circle February 1, 2026 in gold ink. The Crypto.com Arena lights will blaze, the internet will meltdown, and 95 gramophones will find new homes. Whether you’re streaming from Seoul or screaming in Section 108, the 68th Grammys are ready to rewrite music history—one golden statuette at a time.
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