New York City Welcomes Holiday Season with Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting

The Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting has long been a holiday tradition in New York City, drawing crowds in its thousands each year. In the past year, a 74-foot Norway spruce at the iconic center made waves with 50,000 lights during a Wednesday night lighting ceremony that kicked off the holiday season.

Kelly Clarkson was the host of this year’s ceremony, just as last year. She introduced the showstopping lineup that boasted performances from the Backstreet Boys and Jennifer Hudson. The tree is a small-town find from Massachusetts and topped with a breathtaking Swarovski star holding 3 million crystals.. Estimated to be 70 years of age, the giant weighs 11 tonnes and arrived in New York last month after being donated by the owners, following a request made in 2020 by the head gardener of the Rockefeller Center.

Located above the Rockefeller Center ice-skating rink, this year’s popular holiday attraction will shine aglow through mid-January, with 24-hour lighting on Christmas Day. After the holiday season is over, the tree will be turned into lumber for Habitat for Humanity. Visitors can ice-skate under the tree and enjoy the holiday ambience.

The Rockefeller Center tree-lighting ceremony, which dates back to 1933 and has been held every year since, lasts for two hours and officially commences the Christmas celebrations. The official Rockefeller Center account on X posted the video of the tree lighting ceremony this year, captioned, “The 2024 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree is officially sparkling on Center Plaza.”

The social media was full of reactions as people shared videos and photos of the lit-up tree. Among the users who commented was one saying, “The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree has been lit,” and another who simply said, “Tonight’s Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting 2024 New York City.“The post got several likes, comments, and emojis with some users expressing their appreciation by writing, “Beautiful,” while others wished they could go for the event by saying, “Wish I could be there but no I can’t make it sadly. All the best towards your Christmas celebration.”