When it is, how to look and what to know

On By Littum

The holiday season seems to get real with the Christmas tree lighting ceremony at Rockefeller Center in New York City every year.

Kelly Clarkson, the musician and host of an eponymous NBC talk show taped at Rockefeller Center, will return to host the lighting ceremony and its television special, “Christmas in Rockefeller Center.”

Clarkson first appeared at the ceremony more than 20 years ago and marked the milestone with hosting duties last year. “All of a sudden I was in a Charlie Brown movie and it was magical,” she said on her show this monthreferring to her hosting duties last year.

Clarkson moved to New York City last year after hosting her show at Universal Studios in Universal City, California. She said she looks forward to hosting the tree lighting again.

“I love the holidays here in New York,” Clarkson said on her show. “Staying here at Christmas is like being in a movie. There is nothing like it in the world, especially the tree lighting ceremony.”

Workers install the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree on November 9, 2024 in New York City.
Workers install the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree in New York City on November 9.Stephanie Keith/Getty Images

When and where is the ceremony?

The ceremony will take place in Rockefeller Center at 8 PM ET Wednesday; it will be televised live on NBC and streamed on the Peacock as part of the two-hour “Christmas in Rockefeller Center” special.

A line-up of musical stars is planned and the event will end with the lighting of the tree.

NBC-owned stations, along with some affiliates, will air an additional live hour from Rockefeller Center before the event, NBC said in a statement. Mario Lopez of “Access Hollywood” and NBC New York anchors Natalie Pasquarella and David Ushery will host that show, it said.

For the first time, Spanish-language viewers can watch Telemundo for a simulcast, “Navidades en Rockefeller Center,” starting live at 9 p.m. ET, NBC said.

Can I participate in the tree lighting?

The area around Rockefeller Center is public, but sightseers can purchase tickets for be photographed with the tree in the background. VIP tickets are also oneaccessible to see the tree up close from an area normally closed to the public.

Temperatures are expected to be 7 to 10 degrees below normal, with a chance for showers and snow later next week, according to the National Weather Service.

What is there to see?

More than 50,000 multi-colored LED lights will adorn the tree, NBC said in a statement. A Swarovski star designed by architect Daniel Libeskind, first used in 2018, is expected to top the tree, the network said.

Which celebrities will be at the event?

The ceremony and show will be driven by music, with performances by the Backstreet Boys, Jennifer Hudson, country duo Dan + Shay, Broadway star Megan Hilty, Thalia, known as the Queen of Latin Pop, and more, NBC said in a statement.

The high-scoring Radio City Rockettes, the star of the annual “Christmas Spectacular” at the adjacent Radio City Music Hall, will also perform, the network said.

NBC News’ “TODAY” show anchors Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb, Al Roker and Craig Melvin will also appear, it said.

Where is the tree of the year from?

This year’s tree is the first to originate from Massachusetts since 1959. It’s a 74-foot-tall, 43-foot-wide Norway spruce from West Stockbridge, and it arrived at Rockefeller Center on Nov. 9, according to the Rockefeller Center website.

This year’s tree weighs about 11 tons, it said.

After mid-January, the tree will be donated to the nonprofit organization Habitat for Humanity so that its wood can be used to build homes for those who need it, NBC said in its statement.

The tree was planted by newlyweds Earl Albert and his late wife, Leslie, in 1967, and he recently honored her memory by donating it to serve as the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree in 2024. Albert said in an interview in early November.

His family has since said so in a statement Albert has had a stroke but he still looked forward to lighting the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center and working hard to be able to attend in person.

What is the history of the tree lighting?

The ceremony continues a long tradition.

The first tree was erected in Rockefeller Center in 1931 by workers who pooled their money for the exhibit, according to the history page of the tree. Two years later, the lighting ceremony was born. In 1951 it was televised.

When can I see the tree after the ceremony?

Following Wednesday night’s event, the tree will be lit from 5 a.m. to midnight through mid-January. It will be on for 24 hours on Christmas Eve, but there will be an early cut-off, at 21, for New Year’s Eve, when revelers will fill nearby Times Square, Rockefeller Center said on its website.