The 2025 lighting of the 75-foot-tall Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree is scheduled for Wednesday, December 3.
The event is from 7 to 10 p.m. at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Midtown Manhattan.
The “Christmas in Rockefeller Center” special will air live on NBC at 8 p.m. Eastern US time and stream on both NBC and Peacock, according to the network’s website. Country music star Reba McEntire, who can be seen on “Happy’s Place” and “The Voice,” will host and perform at the special event.
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NBC said other performers include musical guests Marc Anthony, Halle Bailey, Michael Buble, Kristin Chenoweth, Laufey, New Edition, Brad Paisley, Carly Pearce and Gwen Stefani. The Radio City Rockettes – celebrating their 100th anniversary this year – are also scheduled to perform.
And what about lighting? According to the Rockefeller Center website, the tree has more than 50,000 multicolored LED lights strung on approximately 5 miles of string.
The star at the top of the tree was designed by architect Daniel Libeskind in 2018. It is a three-dimensional, Swarovski star that weighs approximately 900 pounds. It has 70 spikes covered with 3 million crystals.
According to the website, this approximately 75-year-old tree is 45 feet in diameter and weighs approximately 11 tons.
This is a Norway spruce from East Greenbush in Rensselaer County, New York. After the tree was cut down on November 6, it was brought to Manhattan after a journey of approximately 130 miles.
The tree will remain on display until mid-January.
The Rockefeller Christmas Tree has been prominent since 1933
The idea of a tree at Rockefeller Center dates back to 1931, when Rockefeller Center employees pooled their money to purchase a Christmas tree – a 20-foot-tall balsam fir adorned with garlands handmade by their families. In 1933, Rockefeller Center decided to make it an annual tradition and held the first tree lighting ceremony.
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Other NYC Holiday Tree Lighting
Rockefeller Center isn’t the only tree lighting fixture in the Big Apple.
The lighting of the 45-foot-tall Bryant Park tree, also in Midtown, is scheduled for a day earlier, Tuesday, Dec. 2, according to the Bryant Park website. The festival is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m., with the event streamed online for free at wintervillage.org.
World-class skaters expected to perform include: Olympian and U.S. champion Maria Bell, U.S. Olympic team members and fellow bronze medalists Kaitlin Haweik and Jean-Luc Becker, Canadian national champion Kaia Ruiter, and U.S. Olympic team member Emmanuelle Savary,
Holiday music, singing and fireworks are also in full swing. Actor and chef David Burtka will host the Bryant Park event.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: When is NYC’s Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting? what to know
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