Rockefeller Christmas Tree lighting ceremony: date, time, how to watch on TV and online

Fans of the holiday season have something to look forward to on Wednesday, Nov. 29, when one of the most important Christmas traditions in New York City, the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting ceremony, takes place.

Each year, a tree is chosen from a different area. For 2023, the Christmas tree is a Norwegian spruce between 80 and 85 years old, 80 feet high, 43 feet wide and weighing 12 tons, from Vestal, New York.

The tree will feature more than 5,000 multicolored LED lights on approximately five miles of cable. The three-dimensional star, designed by architect Daniel Libeskind in 2018, weighs approximately 900 pounds and features 70 spikes covered in three million Swarovski crystals.

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Rockefeller Christmas Tree lighting ceremony: date, time, how to watch on TV and online

The national live broadcast of ‘Christmas in Rockefeller Center’ will air at 8 p.m. ET on NBC and will be hosted by Kelly Clarkson, Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb, Al Roker and Craig Melvin.

The event can also be seen on streaming platforms such as Peacock, Sling TV or Fubo TV, which have NBC. The lighting takes place a few minutes before 10 p.m. ET.

As for in-person attendance, the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony is a free event. However, because it is so popular, the viewing areas fill up quickly, so if you plan to attend, you should arrive early.

The tree lighting can be seen between West 49th Street and 50th Street, as well as Fifth Avenue.

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How long will the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree be up?

The tree will remain lit every day from 5 a.m. to 12 a.m. until it is taken down on Jan. 13 at 10 p.m., according to the Rockefeller Center website.

On Christmas Day, Dec. 25, the tree will remain lit for 24 hours and on New Year’s Eve, it will be lit from 5 a.m to 9 p.m.