Nothing says the holidays in New York City like the window displays on Fifth Avenue, the Winter Village in Bryant Park and the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree. The tree has been a holiday staple in Rockefeller Center every year since 1931, with the lighting being broadcast live around the world since 1951. For over eight decades, the Christmas Tree at Rockefeller Center and the holiday decorations adorning and surrounding have stood as a holiday beacon for New Yorkers and visitors alike. From the beginning, the Tree was a gathering place and reflection of what was happening in the world around it. Even before the first formal tree went up, workers lined up beneath a Christmas tree on the Rockefeller Plaza construction site to collect their paychecks during the height of the Great Depression. People from around the world came after September 11th to see the Tree decorated in a patriotic red, white and blue. Today, more than half a million people pass by the Tree every day, making Rockefeller Center the epicenter of New York City’s holiday celebrations.

The 2019 tree will be lit for the first time on Wednesday, December 4 on Rockefeller Plaza. The annual tree lighting ceremony is free and open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis. Each year, thousands crowd the sidewalks for the event and millions watch the live broadcast. The tree will remain lit and on display on the plaza between West 48th and 51st Streets and Fifth and Sixth Avenues through Friday, January 17, 2020. The 2019 Rockefeller Center Christmas tree arrived and was placed in Rockefeller Center in New York City on Nov. 9, 2019. It was donated by New York resident Carolyn Schultz, who was allowed the privilege of inserting the spike into the bottom of the Norway Spruce that will help the tree to stand. It is a 77-foot tall, 46-foot wide, 12-ton Norway Spruce and hails from Florida, NY in Orange County. However, perhaps even more mindboggling than the tree’s dimensions are its decorations. This year, the tree will be topped with a newly redesigned star from Swarovski and famed architect Daniel Libeskind. The star weighs approximately 900 pounds and features 70 spikes covered in 3 million crystals. Wow!

For your convenience, here’s the schedule of events for this year:

• November 9: The Tree arrives on Rockefeller Plaza. (already done!)
• November 13: The Swarovski star will be raised onto the Tree. (already done!)
• December 4: The Tree will be lit for the first time on Rockefeller Plaza.
• December 25: On Christmas day, the lights shine for a full 24 hours.
• December 31: On New Year’s Eve, visiting hours are from 6am-9pm.

If you’re in New York City that day, you can watch the glorious tree lighting in person, with its 50,000 LED lights and Swarovski star. The NBC broadcast performances start at 8:00 PM and the tree is officially ‘plugged in’ sometime between 9:30 and 10:00 PM. If you can’t get to Rockefeller Center or just prefer to watch on TV, tune in to NBC on Dec. 4 from 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM EST for the live broadcast and, of course by the end of the evening, the Christmas Tree lighting! Be sure to catch NBC’s pre-show at 7:00 PM EST with Mario Lopez, Stefan Holt, and Natalie Pasquarella. Following, the ceremony’s hosts will be Today Show anchors Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb, Al Roker and Craig Melvin. Performers at this year’s ceremony include Sexiest Man Alive John Legend, sibling dancers Derek and Julianne Hough, Brett Eldredge, Idina Menzel, Gwen Stefani, Lea Michele, NE-YO, Straight No Chaser, and Skylar Astin and Alex Newell, two stars from NBC’s upcoming musical dramedy Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist. You’ll also see Miss America 2019 Nia Franklin and the famed Radio City Rockettes.

After the lighting, the tree is flooded with visitors. Hours for visiting are from 6:00 AM to midnight daily through Jan. 17, 2020. On Christmas Day, the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree will be lit for a full 24 hours! For the thirteenth consecutive year, the 2019 Christmas Tree will be donated to Habitat for Humanity. Once the holidays have passed and crowds have dispersed, the tree comes down and is milled, treated and made into lumber that is used for home building. If you haven’t yet recovered from Thanksgiving, hop to it!

Location: Rockefeller Plaza

30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York NY

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