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** New Yorkled Magazine **

2023 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting & Other Events

Annual Christmas Tree Lighting at Rockefeller

Wednesday, November 29, 2023
Beginning at 8:00 pm and televised live on NBC (local TV channel 4)

Hosted by Kelly Clarkson

Expected performers include the following:  Chloe Bailey, Adam Blackstone, Cher, David Foster, Liz Gillies, Darlene Love, Seth MacFarlane, Barry Manilow, Katharine McPhee, Keke Palmer, Carly Pearce, Manuel Turizo, and more.

12 ton Norway Spruce was cut down on November 9 and transported to Rockefeller Center on November 11

Have a look at our coverage of the event when this year’s Xmas Tree was raised into place at Rockefeller Center.

Rockefeller Center revealed that the 2023 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree will come from New York State. The Norway Spruce from Vestal, NY in the Binghamton region, will be cut on Thursday, November 9, 2023, and arrive at Rockefeller Center on Saturday, November 11, 2023. After being wrapped with more than 50,000 multi-colored, energy efficient LED lights and crowned with a Swarovski star, the tree will be lit during the live broadcast “Christmas in Rockefeller Center” on Wednesday, November 29, 2023. The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree will be on display until January 13, 2024 at 10:00 p.m. 

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50th Annual Tuba Christmas at Rockefeller Center

Sunday, December 10, 2023
at 3:30 pm

“Carols Under the Tree” will be taking place on the 50th Street side of Rockefeller Plaza outside of 30 Rock.

Gather round as many tuba playing performers belt out one holiday song after another.

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Related historical milestones:

1931 – Construction workers building Rockefeller Center put up a Christmas tree, the first- ever Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree.

1933 – First formal Rockefeller Center Tree Lighting Ceremony. The tree was decked with 700 lights in front of the eight-month-old RCA Building.

1936 – Two trees, each 70 feet (21.3 m) tall, were erected. For the first time the Lighting Ceremony included a skating pageant on the newly opened Rockefeller Plaza Outdoor Ice Skating Pond.

1942 – Three trees were placed on Rockefeller Plaza, one decorated in red, one in white and one in blue to show support for our troops serving during 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 on the Kate Smith Show.

1966 – The first tree from outside the United States was erected. It was given by Canada, in honor of the Centennial of its Confederation. This is the farthest distance a tree has traveled to Rockefeller Center.

1980 – For the 50th Anniversary of Tree Lighting, a 70 foot-tall (21.3 m) Norway Spruce came from the grounds of the Immaculate Conception Seminary of Mahwah, N.J. Bob Hope participated in the Lighting.

1999 – The largest tree in Rockefeller Center history, 100 feet tall (30.5 m), came from Killingworth, Conn.

2004 – The Swarovski-designed star became the largest star to ever grace the tree.

2007 – For the first time, the tree was lit with energy-efficient LEDs. They draw a fraction of the power that had been traditionally required by the tree, reducing energy consumption from 3,510 kwH to 1,297 kwH per day, saving as much energy as a single family would use in a month in a 2,000 square foot (185.8 m²) home. 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.

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Through the rest of this page you’ll find postings from Christmases past.

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They’re set to play Christmas carols and other crowd favorites. The tubists of all ages will line up under the great Christmas tree and fill the area with the organ-line sound of low brass.  Spectators will be encouraged to become an important part of the concert by singing along with the Christmas carols and famous songs.

“”Recruited from throughout the greater New York City area, the musicians will be conducted by Chris Wilhjelm, conductor of the famous Goldman band. Conceived by tuba virtuoso Harvey Phillips to honor his teacher, the late William J. Bell (Born Christmas Day, 1902), the first Tuba Christmas was presented at Rockefeller Center in 1974, conducted by Paul LaValle, of Band of America fame.  This unusual Christmas tradition is firmly established in over 200 cities around the world.””

Mind you the Tuba performances at Rockefeller won’t be the only one around. Here below is a quick list of those taking place at other locations beyond our New York City borders:

Within New York State:

Queensbury Hotel, 88 Ridge Street, Glens Falls, NY
Saturday, November 25

The Erie Tiki Bar, 9 Jersey Ave in Port Jervis, NY
Sunday, November 26 at 12:00 Noon

Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, NY
To come, if at all

Empire State Plaza Ice Rink in Albany, NY
Sunday, December 3 at 4:00 pm

Oakdale Commons in Johnson City, NY
Saturday, December 9 at 1:00 pm

Eastern Hills Mall in Williamsville, Buffalo, NY
Sunday, December 10 at 2:00 pm

Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre in Rochester, NY
Sunday, December 10 at 3:00 pm

Liverpool High School in Syracuse, NY
Saturday, December 16 at 2:00 pm

Within New Jersey

Princeton Market Fair Mall in Princeton, NJ
Saturday, December 2 at 2:00 pm

Auditorium of Woodstown High School in Woodstown, NJ
Sunday, December 10 at 7:00 pm

West Side Presbyterian Church in Ridgewood, NJ
To come, if at all

Morristown Green in Morristown, NJ
Saturday, December 16 at 3:00 pm

Warren County Courthouse in Belvidere, NJ
Sunday, December 24 at 4:00 pm

The following will be updated very soon:

Within Connecticut

Old Saybrook High School in Old Saybrook, CT
Saturday, December 7

Trinity on Main in New Britain, CT
Saturday, December 14

Within Pennsylvania

Penn Square, Downtown Lancaster in Lancaster, PA
Friday, November 29

North Hanover Mall in Hanover, PA
Saturday, November 30

Goodwin Performing Arts Center in Waynesburg, PA
Friday, December 6

Washington Crown Center Mall in Pittsburgh, PA
Saturday, December 14

Scottish Rite Cathedral in Reading, PA
Saturday, December 7

Railroad Plaza, Main Street in Lansdale, PA
Sunday, December 8

Viemont Mall in Bloomsburg, PA
Listing not found

Mitrani Hall-Bloomsburg University in Bloomsburg, PA
Saturday, December 7

Lycoming Mall in Williamsport, PA
Saturday, December 7

Reed Union in Erie, PA
Saturday, December 7

Washington Crown Center Mall in Pittsburgh, PA
Saturday, December 14

Hershey Middle School in Hershey, PA
Friday, December 13

Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia, PA
Sunday, December 15

 

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Here's a 2004 photo of the tree at Rockefeller Center on the evening following the grand lighting in NYC.
Here’s a 2004 photo of the tree at Rockefeller Center on the evening following the grand lighting in NYC.

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Below is a 2005 photo of the 74 foot Spruce from Wayne, NJ. All 9 tons of it was quite the beaut!
Above is a 2005 photo of the 74 foot Spruce from Wayne, NJ. All 9 tons of it was quite the beaut!
'And here is a pic of a previous year's (2006) tree. All 88 feet of it is a heck of alot better looking than trees in previous years. It's so nicely rounded and full. Yup! All 9 tons of it with width of 45 feet!
‘And here is a pic of a previous year’s (2006) tree. All 88 feet of it is a heck of alot better looking than trees in previous years. It’s so nicely rounded and full. Yup! All 9 tons of it with width of 45 feet!

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Here is the 2003 Rockefeller Christmas Tree on the day after it was lit, December 4th, 2003.
Here is the 2003 Rockefeller Christmas Tree on the day after it was lit, December 4th, 2003.
2002 Photo of the Christmas Tree at Rockefeller Here is the 2002, 75 year old, 76 foot, 7 ton, 43-foot wide tree which was brought in from Carmine and Mary Rizzo’s property in Bloomsbury, N.J.
2002 Photo of the Christmas Tree at Rockefeller
Here is the 2002, 75 year old, 76 foot, 7 ton, 43-foot wide tree which was brought in from Carmine and Mary Rizzo’s property in Bloomsbury, N.J.
The 2001 Christmas Tree at Rockefeller
The 2001 Christmas Tree at Rockefeller
Skaters gliding underneath the 2001 Tree.
Skaters gliding underneath the 2001 Tree.

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2023 Press Release:

November 30, 2022 (New York, NY) – New Yorkers and visitors gathered together to kick off the holiday season as the world-famous Rockefeller Center Christmas tree was lit at 9:57 P.M. by Tishman Speyer President and CEO Rob Speyer, and Chairman Jerry Speyer.

More than 50,000 multi-colored, energy-efficient LED lights, strung on five miles of wire, adorn the 14-ton, 82-foot tall, 50-foot-wide Norway Spruce that is topped with a stunning Swarovski Star designed by architect Daniel Libeskind.

Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb, Craig Melvin and ‘ACCESS Hollywood’ Host Mario Lopez hosted the annual Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony with featured appearances from Jimmie Allen, Andrea Bocelli along with Matteo Bocelli and Virginia Bocelli, David Foster and Katharine McPhee, Brett Eldredge, Mickey Guyton, Alicia Keys, The Muppets of Sesame Street, Dan + Shay, Blake Shelton, The Shindellas, Gwen Stefani, Louis York and more. The evening also included a performance by the Radio City Rockettes and a special appearance by Amy Poehler and Maya Rudolph. Plus, Shelton and Stefani delivered a duet of their holiday single, “You Make It Feel Like Christmas.”

This year’s tree comes from the Lebowitz Family of Glens Falls, New York. The tree was harvested on November 10th and arrived in New York City on November 12th, where it was raised into place in front of a crowd of spectators. The Lebowitz Family attended the tree lighting ceremony today.

This year marks the 19th year a Swarovski Star tops the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree. The star, which debuted in 2018, is made up of 70 spikes covered in 3 million crystals, is nearly 9 ½ feet in diameter, and weighs 900 pounds. 

Spectators can view the lit tree each day from 6:00 A.M. – 12:00 A.M.; all day (24 hours) on Christmas; and from 6:00 A.M. – 9:00 P.M.  on New Year’s Eve.

Rockefeller Center began its iconic Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony in 1933, when a Christmas tree was placed in front of the then-RCA Building and decorated with 700 lights. Now a quintessential New York tradition, the Christmas trees in Rockefeller Center have ranged from 50-foot Pines to 100-foot Norway Spruces and are enjoyed by millions of New Yorkers and visitors from near and far throughout the holiday season.

 

2021 Press Release (albeit late) from Tishman Speyer regarding this year’s tree:

79-FOOT TALL NORWAY SPRUCE LIGHTS UP NEW YORK CITY AT 2021 ANNUAL ROCKEFELLER CENTER®

CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTING CEREMONY
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Tree from Elkton, Maryland Features a Swarovski Star and More Than

50,000 Energy- Efficient LED Lights

December 1, 2021 (New York, NY) – New Yorkers and visitors gathered together to kick off the holiday season as the world-famous Rockefeller Center Christmas tree was lit at 9:57 P.M. by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and Tishman Speyer President and CEO Rob Speyer.

More than 50,000 multi-colored, energy-efficient LED lights, strung on five miles of wire, adorn the 12-ton, 79-foot tall, 46-foot wide Norway Spruce that is topped with a stunning Swarovski Star designed by architect Daniel Libeskind.

Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb, Al Roker, and Craig Melvin hosted the annual Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony with featured appearances from Alessia Cara, Harry Connick Jr., José Feliciano & CNCO, Mickey Guyton, Norah Jones, Brad Paisley, Pentatonix, Rob Thomas, and Carrie Underwood, as well as special appearances from President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden, the Radio City Rockettes and the cast from Broadway musical “Come From Away.”

This year’s tree comes from the home of Julie and Devon Price in Elkton, Maryland. The tree was cut down on November 11th and arrived in New York City on November 13th, where it was raised into place in front of a crowd of spectators. Devon and Julie, joined by the rest of their family, attended the tree lighting ceremony today.

This year marks the 18th year a Swarovski Star tops the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree. The star, which debuted in 2018, is made up of 70 spikes covered in 3 million crystals, is nearly 9 ½ feet in diameter, and weighs 900 pounds. 

Spectators can view the lit tree each day from 6:00 A.M. – 12:00 A.M.; all day (24 hours) on Christmas; and from 6:00 A.M. –12:00 A.M. on New Year’s Eve.

Rockefeller Center began its iconic Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony in 1933, when a Christmas tree was placed in front of the then-RCA Building and decorated with 700 lights. Now a quintessential New York tradition, the Christmas trees in Rockefeller Center have ranged from 50-foot Pines to 100-foot Norway Spruces and are enjoyed by millions of New Yorkers and visitors from near and far throughout the holiday season.

The lighting ceremony was televised live, locally on WNBC-TV from 7:00 P.M. – 8:00 P.M., and nationally on NBC from 8:00 P.M. – 10:00 P.M.

The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree anchors an unparalleled holiday experience at Rockefeller Center, filled with timeless traditions and new offerings. For a full list of holiday entertainment, dining, music, and shopping, visit rockefellercenter.com.

 

The following is from the past

 

2021 Rockefeller Center® Christmas Tree will be coming from Elkton Maryland

Cutting on November 11
Transported to Rockefeller on November 13

Televised Lighting + Celebration on December 1

The tree was cut on Thursday, November 11 and made its way to Rockefeller Center where it was erected on Saturday, November 13, 2021.

For the first time ever the tree will be coming from the state of Maryland. In past years the location has usually been from within New York State.

Additional details about the Norway Spruce from Elkton, Maryland:

79-feet (24.07 meters) tall

46-feet (14.02 meters) in diameter

Approximately 12 tons

Age: Approximately 85-90 years old

The 79-foot tall, 46-foot in diameter, 12-ton Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree from Elkton, MD, will be driven onto Rockefeller Plaza, raised off of its 115-foot-long trailer and erected by the Skating rink.

This year’s Christmas in Rockefeller Center Lighting Celebration will take place, as usual, on the first Wednesday following Thanksgiving which this year lands on December 1.

The tree will remain on display until Sunday, January 16, 2022

We’d like to mention something which we’ve taken to pointing out in recent years.

Prior to COVID, folks would turn up in the hundreds if not thousands for this event. Why? We’ve no clue except perhaps for the sheer excitement of being there en masse for the countdown to the tree’s lighting.

If you do show up this year, remember. Most performances scheduled for that evening’s TV airing had likely already been pre-taped and shot elsewhere. Anything that does take place is likely happening down below within the ice skating rink which only a very select small number of people have access to. You’ll likely NOT have direct line of sight to the tree due to the other crowds present and areas being cordoned off for security reasons. Thus, it’d behoove you, especially in light of our current health crisis (which is still going on), to either view the event from the best seat in the house (your home) OR through your smartphone. The latter being not so shabby an idea should you wish to catch sight of the tree that very same evening following the culmination of the big event.

 

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87th Annual Tree Lighting Celebration

Taking place Wednesday, December 4, 2019

at the Rockefeller Plaza Rink
between West 48th and 51st Streets
and betw. 5th and 6th Avenues

Broadcast from 8:00 – 10:00 pm

Anchored and hosted by Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb, Craig Melvin, Al Roker 

Expected to appear and perform are Chicago, Brett Eldredge, Derek & Julianne Hough, John Legend, Idina Menzel, Lea Michele, NE-YO, Gwen Stefani, Straight No Chaser, Skylar Astin & Alex Newell.

This year’s tree, a 77 foot Norway Spruce came from Florida, New York

Last year’s tree (2018) arrived from Wallkill, NY and was 75 years old and 72 feet tall and 45 feet in diameter.

The prior year’s (2017) tree, a Norway Spruce came to us from State College, Pennsylvania.

The more than 50,000 multi-colored, energy efficient LED lights on the 72-foot-tall Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree will be lit on Wednesday, November 28th.

Hoda Kotb, Savannah Guthrie, Al Roker, and Craig Melvin will co-host Christmas in Rockefeller Center from 8:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. Mario Lopez, Stefan Holt, and Natalie Pasquarella will host an additional hour of the special from 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm. The program will include live performances from Pentatonix, Darci Lynne Farmer, and Kellie Pickler, and a special appearance by Howie Mandel; additional performances from Diana Ross, Tony Bennett & Diana Krall, Brett Eldredge, John Legend, and Martina McBride.

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The 2016 Tree

2016’s Christmas Tree came from Oneonta, New York. It was cut down on November 10 and arrived in midtown Manhattan on November 12. According to the Daily Star News which hails from the local area the giant Spruce came to us from Angie and Graig Eichler’s backyard along Country Club Road.

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THE FOLLOWING IS INFORMATION FROM a previous YEAR(s) SO’S TO GIVE YOU A BETTER IDEA
AS TO WHAT TO EXPECT THIS YEAR (2009)

About Last Year’s Tree (2012)

It’ll be an 80 ft Norway Spruce and will be coming from Joseph Balku’s home in Morris County, New Jersey. The 10 ton and 50 foot in diameter tree will be hoisted by crane onto a trailer which will transport it to Manhattan.
November 14 Update:
The Tree had arrived at Rockefeller already.

The 2011 Tree

A 75 Foot Tall Spruce from Mifflinville, Pennsylvania is this year’s chosen tree.
It’ll be the first time that a tree had been selected from that state to become the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree.
The 46 foot wide tree had been cut on Wednesday, November 9 and was hoisted by crane onto a 115 foot trailer on which it was driven to NYC for a Friday, November 11 morning arrival.

THE KELLER/CRAWFORD FAMILY, MIFFLINVILLE, PA

Being a military wife, Nancy Keller has lived all over the United States – from Alabama to Alaska – but Mifflinville, Pennsylvania has always been home.  It is here, where she grew up, went to high school and met her late husband, Doyle Keller, that she and three more generations of her family have made a home.

Doyle served stateside in the United States Air Force for 20 years.  His years in the military brought a number of moves for him, Nancy and their daughter, Debra Keller.  In 1969, right before Debra started her junior year of high school, Nancy and Debra returned to Mifflinville and were soon followed by Doyle when he retired in 1970.

Since their return to Mifflinville 42 years ago, the Kellers have added two more generations to the family tree.  Debra’s two sons, Billy and Mitch Crawford, 39 and 21 years old respectively, both live within minutes of Mifflinville.  Billy and wife Keri Crawford have two daughters, Olivia and Emma, 11 and 8 years old respectively.

When Nancy and Doyle moved onto the property where the tree resides in 1985, Doyle wanted nothing to do with the massive tree situated next to the house and even suggested cutting it down.  It took some convincing by the family, but with the help of some trimming, a little love and some very tall ladders Doyle was won over and the tree became a part of the landscape that everyone enjoyed.

“I had poked around the website to see how to nominate our tree but never filled out the application,” said Debra who now lives in the house next door to her mom in Mifflinville.  “You can imagine our surprise when we got a knock on the door from Rockefeller Center’s head gardener.”

This year’s Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree arrived at Rockefeller Plaza on November 11, Veteran’s Day, which seems just right to Nancy.  “Doyle’s time in the Air Force and his being a veteran was a big part of who he was – who our family is.  I know he would have enjoyed all of the enthusiasm around our tree being chosen and would have really enjoyed seeing his grandchildren and great-grandchildren so excited.”

The tree was first spotted by the Rockefeller Center team during a routine drive down I-80.  Rockefeller Center’s head gardener saw the tree out of the corner of his eye from the driver’s seat.  Even from hundreds of yards away the 74- foot tall Norway Spruce made quite an impression.
As a Christmas present every year Debra takes her granddaughters to New York City.  The trip is full of holiday traditions – they go to a show, have lunch at the girls’ favorite restaurants, and shop at their favorite stores.  The highlight of the annual vacation is always the visit to the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree, which this year will be their own.

“To be honest it won’t be sad to see the tree go,” Debra said.  “We just feel honored that the tree was chosen and will be enjoyed by so many people when it’s sitting in the middle of Rockefeller Center.”

Christmas Tree Lighting
& Ice Show
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
beginning at 7:00 pm
Don’t forget, if you plan to be there
then show up plenty early since the crowds will be phenomenal. 

Hosting will be Al Roker and Savannah Guthrie

Celebrities to be featured this year:
Through Live and taped performances at the star-studded tree lighting celebration:
Tony Bennett, Justin Bieber, Michael Bublé, Cee Lo Green, Faith Hill, Carole King, Katharine McPhee, Javier Colon, Megan Hill & Others.

The tree is to be illuminated from 5:30 am – 11:30 pm daily, all day (24 hours) on Christmas Day and 5:30 am – 9:00 pm on New Year’s Eve. The world’s most famous tree will be on display until early January, 2012.  For more information, the public can call 212-632-3975.

As with all other public events in NYC, the crowd forms awfully early, so if you plan to be there then you know what to do since the crowd will of course be huge. The tree will remain lit until early January 8, 2007. Enjoy!

Where else on earth will thousands and thousands gather for the lighting a single tree? NYC’s Rockefeller Center, that’s where! Join in this fantastic event which is televised nationwide and perhaps even across the seas. Entertainment, Singing, and yes, our Mayor too! The tallest tree so far was the 100-foot Norway Spruce from Killingworth, Conn. in 1948. Maybe this year’s will be taller? Over 25,000 lightbulbs are used to light the tree. Amazing huh? They span a distance of over 5 miles.

The event which is televised nationwide and has local Television Stars amongst others. The Mayor himself would often take part in this yearly tradition.