The lights are bright at Rockefeller Center as the 11-ton Norway Spruce outside dazzles once again with tens of thousands of LED lights to mark the holiday season.
While Christmas and holiday decorations have been showing up in New York City over the past few weeks, none represents the start of the season and spirit of NYC than the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree.
This year's tree is from West Stockbridge, Massachusetts -- the first tree to come from that state since 1959. The tree is an 11-ton Norway Spruce that's 74-feet tall and 43-feet wide. A Swarovski star crown sparkling with 3 million crystals will top it.
There are more than 50,000 multi-colored LED lights on the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree, connected by approximately five miles worth of wire.
Get top local stories in San Diego delivered to you every morning. >Sign up for NBC San Diego's News Headlines newsletter.
Photos: Star-studded performers dazzle at Rockefeller Center Tree Lighting
The annual Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting attracted more than just people. A few snow flurries came down during some star-studded performances next to the iconic skating rink.
Here's a list of the night's performers:
- Kelly Clarkson
- The Backstreet Boys
- Dan + Shay
- Megan Hilty
- Jennifer Hudson
- Coco Jones
- Little Big Town
- RAYE
- Thalia
- The Radio City Rockettes
When is the Rockefeller Christmas tree lit every day?
Holidays
From gift guides to local events, we're here to help you celebrate in style.
The Rockefeller Center Christmas tree is lit daily from 5 a.m. to midnight.
On Christmas Eve, the tree will be lit for an entire 24 hours, whereas on New Year's Eve, the spruce will be illuminated from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m.
How long will the Rockefeller Christmas tree be up?
Rockefeller's Christmas Tree will be on display to the public through mid-January 2025.
What happens to the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree after it comes down?
The tree goes from providing Christmas joy to providing housing.
When the tree is taken down, it is laid in Rockefeller Plaza to be cut up and taken to a yard in New Jersey. There it is milled into two-by-four and two-by six beams and branded with a Rockefeller Center stamp. Tishman Speyer, the firm that owns and operates Rockefeller Center, then donates the lumber to Habitat for Humanity, a nonprofit organization that helps to build and improve homes across the country.
