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Rockefeller Center Christmas tree revealed! Key dates to know – NBC New York
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Rockefeller Center Christmas tree revealed! Key dates to know – NBC New York

Save your Halloween decorations. It’s time for the tinsel and the reveal of the big Rockefeller Christmas tree.

Real estate giant Tishman Speyer announced Monday that the 2024 Rockefeller Center Christmas tree will come from West Stockbridge, Massachusetts — the first tree to come from the state since 1959.

The tree joining what is now NBC’s annual tradition is an 11-ton Norway spruce. It is 74 feet tall and 43 feet wide, according to Rockefeller Center. The tree is expected to arrive in the city later this month, before lighting.

Here’s everything we know so far about the festivities and other fun facts about the annual extravaganza.

Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree 2024
Meet the 2024 Rockefeller Center Christmas tree. (Photo provided by Tishman Speyer) ()

When is the Rockefeller Christmas tree arriving?

The 2024 Rockefeller Center Christmas tree will be taken down from West Stockbridge on November 7 before traveling approximately 140 miles to Manhattan. It will arrive on the square on Saturday November 9 and will be set up.

The arrival of the tree should be a spectacle as always, and family activities will be offered to holiday lovers on the South Plaza from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., according to organizers.

The Rock and Roll Playhouse will feature kid-friendly holiday classics and there will also be story times with independent bookstore McNally Jackson. Little ones will also have the opportunity to write letters to Santa, decorate their own ornaments and even have their faces painted.

The festivities are free to the public, but those who RSVP in advance will receive a free treat at check-in. Click here for more details.

How will the tree be decorated?

After arriving at Center Plaza, more than 50,000 multi-colored LEDs will be strung on approximately 5 miles of wire to adorn the 2024 tree. It will then be crowned with a 9-foot, 900-pound Swarovski star covered in 3 million crystals .

When is the tree lit?

The tree lighting show is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday, December 4. You’ll be able to watch NBC’s “Christmas at Rockefeller Center” live on TV, on Peacock and wherever you stream NBC 4 New. York.

Here’s a brief history of tree lighting

  • 1931 – Construction workers at Rockefeller Center put up a Christmas tree, the first-ever Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center.
  • 1933 – First official tree lighting ceremony at Rockefeller Center. The tree was adorned with 700 lights in front of the eight-month-old RCA building.
  • 1936 – Two trees, each measuring 70 feet (21.3 m) high, were erected. For the first time, the lighting ceremony included a skating competition on Rockefeller Plaza’s new outdoor ice skating pool.
  • 1942 – Three trees were placed in Rockefeller Plaza, one decorated in red, one in white and one in blue to show our support for our troops serving in World War II.
  • 1949 – The tree was painted silver to look like snow.
  • 1951 – The Rockefeller Center Christmas tree was lit for the first time on national television during the Kate Smith Show.
  • 1966 – The first tree from outside the United States was erected. It was offered by Canada, in honor of the centennial of its Confederation. This is the farthest a tree has traveled to Rockefeller Center.
  • 1980 – For the lighting of the 50th tree, a 70-foot-tall (21.3 m) Norway spruce came from the grounds of Immaculate Conception Seminary in Mahwah, New Jersey. Bob Hope assisted with lighting.
  • 1999 – The largest tree in the history of Rockefeller Center, measuring 100 feet tall, came from Killingworth, Connecticut.
  • 2004 – The Swarovski-designed star became the largest star ever adorned on the tree.
  • 2007 – For the first time, the tree was lit with energy-saving LEDs. They consume a fraction of the energy traditionally required by the tree, reducing energy consumption from 3,510 kWh to 1,297 kWh per day, saving as much energy as a family would consume in a month in a 2,000 square foot house. Hundreds of solar panels atop one of the Rockefeller Center buildings help power the new LEDs.
  • 2021 – For the first time, the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree comes from Maryland.

What happens to the Rockefeller Center tree after the holidays?

The tree will be transformed into lumber for Habitat for Humanity.

Disclosure: NBCUniversal is a long-term tenant at 30 Rockefeller Center.