MTV Video Music Awards Returning To NYC This Year

NEW YORK, NY — The Video Music Awards are coming back to the Big Apple. MTV's annual awards show honoring the year's best music videos will air live from Radio City Music Hall on Aug. 20, city officials announced Tuesday.

The storied Midtown theater was home to the first-ever VMAs in 1984. This year will mark the 12th ceremony held there, more than any other venue; the last one was in 2009. The city even renamed part of Sixth Avenue "VMA Way."

"New York has nurtured so many iconic artists - from Madonna to Lady Gaga, Alicia Keys to Cardi B - that it's safe to say the show belongs here. My dancing shoes are ready and waiting," City Council Speaker Corey Johnson said in a statement.

MTV has mostly ferried the VMAs — one of the network's most-watched programs — between New York City and Los Angeles. The Forum in Inglewood, California hosted last year's show, while the 2016 ceremony was at Madison Square Garden.

New York gets a big payday for hosting the VMAs — the show brings an estimated $50 million worth of economic benefits to the city, Media and Entertainment Commissioner Julie Menin said in a statement.

The show will come on the heels of the Grammy Awards returning to New York City in January for the first time in 15 years.

(Lead image: Part of Sixth Avenue was renamed "VMA Way" Tuesday in honor of MTV's Video Music Awards returning to Radio City Music Hall. Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for MTV)