The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree was lit Wednesday night ushering the holiday season.
This year’s tree is an 80-feet-tall, 43-feet-in-diameter and 12-ton Norway spruce from Vestal, NY donated by the McGinley family. The tree arrived in New York City on Nov. 11 where construction crews have been putting it up.
The tree is wrapped in more than 50,000 multicolored lights and crowned with a 900-pound Swarovski star. It will be on display through January 13.
RELATED: 80-foot Norway spruce gets the nod as Rockefeller Center Christmas tree
Wednesday night’s tree lighting ceremony was televised on NBC featuring celebrity guests and live performances.
During the holidays, the tree will be lit daily from 5 a.m. to midnight. On Christmas Day, the tree will be lit for 24 hours and on New Year’s Eve from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Tourism experts advise taking mass transit to see the Christmas tree to avoid gridlock traffic in Midtown. Visitors are also advised to see the tree late night on weekdays when crowds are manageable.
The tree dates all the way back to 1931 when workers building the site pooled their money together to buy a Christmas tree. The tree sees about 500,000 visitors daily and around 125 million visitors annually.
Go to www.rockefellercenter.com/holidays/ for more information.