{"id":423545,"date":"2025-12-04T06:38:23","date_gmt":"2025-12-04T06:38:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/423545\/"},"modified":"2025-12-04T06:38:23","modified_gmt":"2025-12-04T06:38:23","slug":"rockefeller-center-tree-lighting-thrills-hundreds-as-crowds-flock-to-annual-nyc-tradition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/423545\/","title":{"rendered":"Rockefeller Center tree lighting thrills hundreds as crowds flock to annual NYC tradition"},"content":{"rendered":"

The lighting of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree, an annual New York City tradition, took place Wednesday night.<\/p>\n

Here’s everything to know about the event, how to visit the tree and road closures around the area.<\/p>\n

Crowds gather for 2025 Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting\u00a0<\/p>\n

With the flip of a switch, all 50,000 lights illuminated the 75-foot Norway Spruce.<\/p>\n

Hundreds of people filled Midtown for the event, spending hours out in the cold.<\/p>\n

“Amazing. It’s off my bucket list. This is something I wanted to do,” one person said.<\/p>\n

“I’ve always wanted to see this tree, and there it is,” Texas resident Shari High said.<\/p>\n

Jeanine Knapkiewicz’s family made a last-minute trip from Ohio just for the tree lighting.<\/p>\n

“Got them up this morning at 3 a.m., and we drove in for this,” she said.<\/p>\n

\"People<\/p>\n

People on line to see the 93rd annual Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting ceremony, Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025, in New York.<\/p>\n

Yuki Iwamura \/ AP<\/p>\n

To get a front row seat, Jean Stevenson, from Arizona, lined up before 2 p.m.<\/p>\n

“I wasn’t going to miss it, so I was the first person through the line,” she said.<\/p>\n

“Every year when I see it for the first time, it makes me cry,” another person said. “I just love Christmas. My family loves Christmas … I had to go.”<\/p>\n

For the Tonner family all the way from Scotland, making this memory is a Christmas wish come true.<\/p>\n

“This is my first time in New York, and it really means a lot to me and I love it,” Rudy Tonner said.<\/p>\n

When was the 2025 Rockefeller Center tree lighting in NYC?<\/p>\n

Reba McEntire hosted this year’s ceremony, which started at 8 p.m. on Dec. 3, 2025, and featured live music and performances, including Marc Anthony, Halle Bailey, Michael Bubl\u00e9, Kristin Chenoweth, Laufey, New Edition, Brad Paisley, and Carly Pearce.<\/p>\n

The lights were turned on just before 10 p.m.<\/p>\n

This year also marks the 100th anniversary of the Radio City Rockettes<\/a>, who also performed.<\/p>\n

When and where to see the Rockefeller Center tree<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The Christmas tree stands illuminated moments after being lit during the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting in New York City on December 3, 2025.<\/p>\n

CHARLY TRIBALLEAU \/AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n

The Rockefeller Center tree will be lit up from 5 a.m. to midnight through mid-January. On Christmas Eve, it will be lit for 24 hours, and on New Year’s Eve, it will be lit from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m.<\/p>\n

The tree is located at 30 Rockefeller Center between West 49th and West 50th streets in Manhattan. Visitors traveling by mass transit should use the 47th-50th Streets-Rockefeller Center stop on the B, D, F and M lines.<\/p>\n

Tickets can be purchased to\u00a0skate at the Rockefeller Center ice rink<\/a>, or to\u00a0check out the view from the observation decks<\/a>. For more than $300, you can buy a\u00a0VIP pass for an up-close tour of the tree<\/a>\u00a0and a champagne toast.<\/p>\n

What to know about this year’s Rockefeller Center tree<\/p>\n

The Norway Spruce was cut down on Nov. 6<\/a> in East Greenbush, New York, a suburb of Albany in Rensselaer County, about 150 miles north of New York City. It arrived at Rockefeller Center on Nov. 8<\/a>. It is approximately 75 feet tall, weighs 11 tons, and is more than 60 years old.<\/p>\n

\"Rockefeller<\/p>\n

The Rockefeller Center Christmas tree is lifted at Rockefeller Plaza on Nov. 8, 2025, in New York.<\/p>\n

Eduardo Munoz Alvarez \/ AP<\/p>\n

The tree is decorated with more than 50,000 energy-efficient LED lights and topped with a Swarovski crystal star. After it comes down in mid-January, it will be milled into lumber for Habitat for Humanity, according to organizers.<\/p>\n

The history of the Rockefeller Center tree lighting<\/p>\n

Organizers say\u00a0the holiday tradition<\/a>\u00a0dates back to 1931, when a group of workers pooled their money to buy a Christmas tree. They decorated the 20-foot tall Balsam Fir with garlands made by their families.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Two years later, Rockefeller Center held the first official tree lighting.<\/p>\n

December 1999 holds the record for the largest tree — a 100-footer from Killingworth, Connecticut.<\/p>\n

Last year’s tree<\/a> hailed from West Stockbridge, Massachusetts, in the southern Berkshires region. It was the first tree selected from Massachusetts since 1959.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Road closures around Rockefeller Center<\/p>\n

With tens of thousands in attendance Wednesday night, the NYPD stepped up security for everyone’s safety. Uniformed and plainclothes officer were all over the plaza.<\/p>\n

It was also the first Gridlock Alert Day<\/a> of the month. The NYPD said the following streets were closed<\/a>\u00a0Wednesday:<\/p>\n