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Everything You Need to Know About the 2024 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree
The holiday season hasn't officially started until thousands of twinkly lights light up the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree.
Department stores might start selling holiday décor months before snow hits the ground, but the true countdown to Christmas begins when the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree is lit in NYC. Millions of people visit the tree every holiday season, and it’s a major operation to get the towering evergreen to Manhattan before Christmas.
The details for the 2024 Rockefeller Center Christmas tree are still in the works, but here’s what we can expect to happen this holiday season.
When does the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree go up?
Traditionally, the massive Norway Spruce arrives at Rockefeller Center in Midtown Manhattan by mid-November on the back of a big flatbed truck or even on a barge down the Hudson River.
Once it’s placed in the plaza, secured by scaffolding, workers have a few weeks to get the tree all trimmed and decorated before the annual tree lighting ceremony.
When will the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree be lit in 2024?
Rockefeller Center has not yet announced the specific timing and date for 2024. But if past years are any indication, we can expect the tree lighting ceremony to take place on the Wednesday after Thanksgiving. In 2023, it was lit on November 29 and the ceremony fell on November 30 in 2022.
This year’s tree lighting ceremony likely won’t happen until December 4, 2024, as Thanksgiving falls on November 28. If you can't catch it in person, NBC will broadcast the lighting ceremony live as part of its annual special, Christmas in Rockefeller Center, which will also feature celebrity appearances and festive performances.
RELATED: Everything to Know About the 2023 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting
How long is the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree on display?
For several weeks! Last holiday season, the tree was lit up and on display from November 29 to January 13, so you have ample time to catch a glimpse of it in person,
Or, if you don’t want to brave the cold, you can simply watch NBC’s annual Christmas in Rockefeller Center special again and again this holiday season on Peacock.
How many lights are on the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree?
Thousands. The tree is decorated with more than 50,000 multi-colored LED lights, leaving no branch untouched. Since 2018, the tree also features a ginormous 900-pound Swarovski star topper, designed with a whopping 3 million crystals and 70 spikes.
Where is the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree from this year?
Rockefeller Center has not yet announced where the 2024 tree is coming from or how it’ll make its way to Manhattan this fall. In past years, the tree has come from upstate New York, Vermont, Connecticut, New Jersey, Ohio, and even Canada.
Who picks out the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree?
That job belongs to Erik Pauze, the head gardener for Rockefeller Center. The horticulturist, who’s worked at Rockefeller Center since he was in college in 1988, has been in charge of scouting and selecting the Christmas tree for years now and always looks for a tree that can make you feel that holiday magic.
“What I look for is a tree you would want in your living room, but on a grander scale,” he told The Center Magazine. “It’s got that nice, perfect shape all around. And most of all, it’s gotta look good for those kids who turn the corner at 30 Rock; it needs to instantly put a huge smile on their faces. It needs to evoke that feeling of happiness.”
