When does the Rockefeller Christmas Tree lighting ceremony take place? History explored as 80-foot-tall Norway Spruce arrives in NYC

The much-awaited Rockefeller Christmas tree arrived in New York City on Saturday morning, November 11, 2023. The 12-ton tree, which is 8 ft. tall, was driven all the way from Vestal and was put in the middle of a scaffolding so that it could be decorated with lights and Christmas decor.

The Rockefeller Christmas tree lighting ceremony will take place on November 29, 2023, in midtown Manhattan. The show will start at 7 pm ET, and will also air on NBC’s Christmas in Rockefeller Center.

Furthermore, the tree will remain on display through January 13, 2024. Every day, the Rockefeller Christmas tree will be lit from 5 am to 12 am. However, on Christmas Day, the Tree will be lit for the whole day and night.

As for the decoration, the huge Rockefeller Christmas tree will have more than 50,000 multi-colored LEDs, along with a 9-foot, 900-pound Swarovski star covered in 3 million crystals. Furthermore, as the 80-year-old Norway Spruce tree arrived at its location, many families gathered to witness the moment and see how the tree was being planted on the South Plaza.

This year will mark the 92nd tree lighting ceremony, as the yearly ritual was started in 1931 by the workers at the Rockefeller Center construction site. At the time, they had collected money and put together a 20-foot Christmas tree to show their gratitude for having jobs during the tough times of the Great Depression. Back then, these workers decorated the large tree with flowers, garlands, ornaments, and other such things.

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The Rockefeller Christmas tree was 50-ft. tall in 1933, and even made its TV debut in 1951: History explored

After the ritual of lighting up the huge Rockefeller Christmas tree started in 1931, the workers later put up a 50-foot tall tree two years later, in 1933. At the time, they decorated it with close to 1000 lights, and that was the year when the first tree-lighting ceremony took place. 20 years after the ritual started, NBC broadcast the show for the first time in 1951. At the time, it was televised on The Kate Smith Show.

As per beam, in 2007, the tree was lit for the first time with energy-efficient lights. Every year, the decorations are amped up a little bit, and the Swarovski star atop the tree was placed for the first time in 2018. The star was designed by architect Daniel Libeskind, and it weighs 900 pounds and has 3 million crystals.

After the holidays, Rockefeller Center Christmas tree trunks are milled into beams and donated to Habitat for Humanity, providing durable lumber for building homes across the United States. The wood, often from Norway Spruces, is used in construction, flooring, furniture, and cabinetry, creating a lasting impact beyond the festive season.

Furthermore, The Habitat provided a gist of the facts about the Rockefeller Christmas tree, as it claimed that more than 5,00,000 people visit the Rockefeller Center to witness the magnificent tree during the holiday season.