NEW YORK — New York City’s Christmas season will officially kick off in our area this Wednesday, November 30, when the world’s most famous Rockefeller Center Christmas tree will be lit up on a magical night with performers, audiences and presentations.
The 2022 Rockefeller Center Christmas tree, a Norway spruce from the city of Queensbury, New York, will be lit in a live broadcast on NBC. The 82-foot tall, 50-foot wide, 14-ton tree, believed to be between 85 and 90 years old, was donated by the Lebowitz family of Glen Falls and traveled nearly 200 miles to reach its destination on Nov. 12. .
Here’s everything you need to know about one of the most awaited evenings by residents of our area.
When is the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony?
The annual tree lighting in the heart of New York City at Rockefeller Center will take place on Wednesday, November 30, starting at 8:00 PM.
The festive icon will be broadcast live on NBC. (At the end of the season, the tree will be cut down and turned into lumber that will be donated to Habitat for Humanity.)
Who will be in the show?
Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton to duet on their Christmas single, “You make it feel like Christmas“, there will be additional performances by Jimmie Allen, Andrea Bocelli along with Matteo Bocelli and Virginia Bocelli, David Foster and Katharine McPhee, Brett Eldredge, Mickey Guyton, Alicia Keys, the Sesame Street Muppets, Dan + Shay, The Shindellas, Louis York and more.
How can I go to the ceremony?
They are expected to provide more information on public access to this year’s tree lighting.
How big is the tree and how will it be decorated?
The 82-foot-high, 50-foot-wide, and 14-ton Norwegian tree will be decorated with more than 50,000 LED lights and topped with a Swarovski crystal star.
The three-dimensional Swarovski star, designed by architect Daniel Libeskind in 2018, weighs approximately 900 pounds and features 70 points capped with 3 million crystals. The diameter of the star is 9 feet 4 inches.
How old is the tree and where does it come from?
The 2022 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree is approximately 85-90 years old and arrived from Queensbury, New York.
What are the visiting hours of the Christmas tree after the ceremony?
After November 30, the tree lights will be on from 6:00am to 12:00am daily.
On Christmas Day the tree will be lit for 24 hours and on New Year’s Day from 6am to 9pm
What is the history of tree lighting?
For more than eight decades, the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree has served as a Christmas beacon for New Yorkers and visitors alike. While the lights, decorations, and stars have changed over the years, visiting the tree remains a quintessential NYC experience.
- December 1931: Rockefeller Center workers pooled their money to buy a Christmas tree. The men decorated the 20-foot-tall balsam fir with wreaths handcrafted by their families.
- December 1933: Rockefeller Center decided to make the Christmas tree an annual tradition and held its first ever tree lighting ceremony.
- December 1936: Two trees were erected at Rockefeller Center and a skating competition was held at the newly opened ice rink in the Plaza.
- December 1942: World War II ushered in an era of simple, patriotic designs, including dull red, white, and blue balloons and painted wooden stars. In 1942, no materials essential to the war effort were used to decorate Rockefeller Center, and three more modest trees were erected instead of one large tree. From 1942 until the end of the war the tree was not lit every year due to blackout regulations.
- November 1951: Santa and his friends watch as the tree rises.
- December 1955: In the 1950s, workers began using the scaffolding to decorate the trees. Before the end of the decade, the process had grown to require 20 men and a period of nine days.
- December 1969: Sculptor Valerie Clarebout’s impressive and triumphant wire angel figures made their debut at Channel Gardens. She created the 12 sculptures using 75 wire spikes each. Clarebout passed away in 1982 at the age of 74, but her legacy lives on in her beautiful gift to the City of New York.
- November 1997: Tree sailed up the Hudson River on a barge from his home in Stony Point, New York.
- November 1998: A tree from Richfield, Ohio was flown to New York City on the world’s largest cargo plane, the Anatov An-124 Ruslan.
- December 1999: Christmas 1999 featured the largest tree in Rockefeller Center’s history. Hailing from Killingworth, Connecticut, the tree stood 100 feet tall.
- December 2001: After the tragedies of September 11, 2001, the Tree was decorated in a patriotic red, white and blue. People from all over the world have visited the Plaza to view the tree.
- December 2004: The first 550-pound Swarovski star graced the top of the tree in 2004. It had 25,000 crystals and 1 million facets and was 9.5 feet in diameter. The following year, the addition of LED lights made the star appear to radiate light from the center out to the tips.
- December 2018: A new Swarovski star, designed by the famous architect Daniel Libeskind, graced the 22m high Christmas tree. The 9-foot, 4-inch LED backlit topper features 3 million dazzling Swarovski crystals in 70 triangular prongs.
Where can I find more information?
more meRockefeller Center Christmas Tree information can beAnd go here.
For more Christmas season events and activities in New York City go here.
