2026 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree: When Will It Light Up? - Tempo.co English
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Christmas is still months away, but Rockefeller Center is already getting ready for the holiday season. The 2026 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree is scheduled to arrive in Midtown Manhattan on November 7, followed by the annual tree lighting ceremony on December 2.
TimeOut reported that the tree’s arrival will coincide with Meet the Tree Day, giving visitors a chance to welcome the Norway spruce to Rockefeller Plaza before it is decorated for the holiday season. Rockefeller Center has yet to reveal the source of this year's tree, its height, its age, and its donor.
Once the tree is in place, it will spend several weeks being decorated with thousands of lights and topped with the iconic Swarovski star. The annual lighting ceremony is typically broadcast live on NBC, featuring musical performances and celebrity hosts, although the lineup for this year’s event has not yet been announced.
According to Secret NYC, the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree tradition dates back to 1931, when construction workers put up a 20-foot balsam fir at the site. The first official tree lighting ceremony followed in 1933.
Last year’s tree, a Norway spruce from East Greenbush, New York, stood 75 feet tall and weighed around 11 tons. It was decorated with more than 50,000 multicolored LED lights. The Swarovski star at the top weighs about 900 pounds and contains around 3 million crystals.
Visitors can still see the tree without attending the lighting ceremony. After the December 2 event, it will remain on display throughout the holiday season, although visiting hours have yet to be announced.
The tradition also continues after the holiday season ends. After the tree is taken down, it is cut into pieces and transported to a lumberyard in New Jersey, where the pieces are milled into beams. Tishman Speyer, the company that owns and operates Rockefeller Center, then donates the lumber to Habitat for Humanity, which uses it to help build and improve homes.
For now, mark your calendar for November 7 to welcome the tree. The tree will officially light up Rockefeller Plaza on December 2.
