The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree was lit Wednesday night, officially ushering in the holiday season in New York City.
This year’s tree is an 11-ton, 75-foot-tall, 45-foot-wide Norway spruce donated by the Russ family of East Greenbush, NY. It was cut on November 6 and arrived in Manhattan two days later, where construction crews began the installation.
The tree is adorned with 57,350 multicolored, energy-efficient LED lights strung across more than five miles of wire. Its star—first introduced in 2018—features 70 spikes covered in 3 million crystals. The dazzling topper measures nearly 9.5 feet in diameter and weighs 900 pounds.
Wednesday night’s lighting ceremony aired on NBC and included celebrity guests and live musical performances.
Throughout the holiday season, the tree will be illuminated daily from 5 a.m. to 1 a.m. On Christmas Day, it will remain lit for a full 24 hours, and on New Year’s Eve it will shine from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Tourism experts encourage visitors to take mass transit to avoid heavy traffic in Midtown and recommend viewing the tree late at night on weekdays when crowds are lighter.
The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree tradition dates back to 1931, when construction workers building the complex pooled their money to buy a small Christmas tree for the site. Today, the iconic attraction welcomes about 500,000 visitors each day and roughly 125 million annually.
For more information, visit rockefellercenter.com/holidays.