Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony, falling on December 1 this year, is an annual fanfare that follows the lighting up of a Christmas tree placed at the Rockefeller Center in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, in mid-November and lit during a public ceremony on the Wednesday after Thanksgiving. Fun fact: The tree lighting ceremony is broadcast each year on N.B.C. and is usually lit by the Mayor of New York City.
HISTORY OF ROCKEFELLER CENTER CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTING
The first Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center was erected in 1931, by construction workers at the center, who pooled money to buy a Christmas tree and decorated it with ornaments that their families made, to celebrate Christmas.
Two years later in 1933, the first official tree was erected in continuation of that event, and since then, it has been an annual tradition to erect a Christmas tree on the Rockefeller Plaza.
The annual ceremony that follows the lighting of the Christmas tree, usually by the sitting Mayor of New York City, is attended by dignitaries, celebrities, and tourists from around the world and is often broadcast on the N.B.C. news channel to millions of people watching from home and around the world.
The lighting often begins on the Wednesday following Thanksgiving, with preparation starting earlier in November, from transporting the chosen tree from its harvest location to the plaza where scaffolding is erected around it to aid workers in hanging about 50,000 multi-colored LED lights and the much-adored crystal star top on it.
Traditionally, the trees erected for the event have always been from New York and its surrounding states and are usually donated. But recently, the trees have come from as far as Ohio, brought to the center in one of the largest cargo planes available.
The plaza’s Head Gardener, Erik Pauzé, is often responsible for scouting for the desired tree in upstate New York and surrounding states, and the assessment of the ones submitted for consideration to the center through its website.
Where is the Rockefeller Center tree from?
The tree is shipped from various parts of the country. The 2020 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree came from Oneonta, New York, and it’s a 75-foot-tall Norway Spruce that is 45 feet wide, weighs 11 tons, and is between 75 and 80 years old.
What date is the Rockefeller Tree Lighting 2021?
The 2021 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting is on December 1, 2021. For up-to-date, first-hand information on the 2021/2022 Tree, sign up for the Rockefeller Center newsletter: https://www.rockefellercenter.com/the-center-newsletter.
How much does the Rockefeller Christmas Tree Cost?
Price may carry from year to year, but many sources agree that the total cost, including the ornaments, the LED lights, and the tree itself, is roughly $73,000.