The annual Christmas tree lighting event at Rockefeller Center in New York City appears to make the holiday season more authentic.
The lighting ceremony and associated television special, “Christmas in Rockefeller Center,” will be hosted by Kelly Clarkson, the artist and star of an NBC talk program of the same name that was filmed at Rockefeller Center.
More than 20 years have passed since Clarkson’s debut performance at the ceremony, and last year she celebrated the milestone by hosting. While hosting her program last year, she remarked, “I was all of a sudden in a Charlie Brown movie, and it was magical,” this month.
Last year, after hosting her performance in Universal Studios in Universal City, California, Clarkson relocated to New York City. She expressed her excitement about hosting the tree lighting event once more.
During her broadcast, Clarkson declared, “I love the holidays here in New York,” “It seems like you’re in a movie when you live here around Christmas. Nothing compares to it in the entire globe, particularly the ritual for lighting the trees.
What time and location is the ceremony?
The event, which will be shown live on NBC and streamed on Peacock as part of the two-hour “Christmas in Rockefeller Center” special, will take place at Rockefeller Center on Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET.
The ceremony will conclude with the tree alight, and a lineup of musical artists is planned.
Before the ceremony, an extra live hour will be broadcast from Rockefeller Center by NBC-owned stations and a few affiliates, the network announced in a statement. That show will be hosted by “Access Hollywood” star Mario Lopez and NBC New York anchors David Ushery and Natalie Pasquarella, according to the statement.
For the first time, Telemundo will be available to Spanish-speaking viewers for a simulcast called “Navidades en Rockefeller Center,” which will go live at 9 p.m. ET, according to NBC.
Will you let me see the tree lighting?
Although the area surrounding Rockefeller Center is open to the public, visitors can purchase tickets to have their photos taken with the tree in the background. To see the tree up close from a location that is often off-limits to the general public, VIP tickets are also offered.
The National Weather Service predicts temperatures will be 7 to 10 degrees below average, with the possibility of snow and showers later next week.
What can we see?
According to a statement from NBC, the tree will be decked up with over 50,000 multicolored LED lights. According to the network, the summit of the tree would likely be a Swarovski star created by architect Daniel Libeskind and first used in 2018.
Which famous people are attending the event?
According to an NBC statement, the Backstreet Boys, Jennifer Hudson, the country combo Dan + Shay, Broadway star Megan Hilty, Thalia, often known as the Queen of Latin Pop, and others will perform throughout the ceremony and program.
According to the network, the energetic Radio City Rockettes, the main attraction of the yearly “Christmas Spectacular” at nearby Radio City Music Hall, will also play.
According to the statement, NBC News’ “TODAY” program anchors Craig Melvin, Hoda Kotb, Al Roker, and Savannah Guthrie will all make an appearance.
Where is the tree from this year?
Since 1959, no tree has come from Massachusetts until this year. According to the Rockefeller Center website, the 74-foot-tall, 43-foot-wide Norway spruce arrived at the venue on November 9. It was sent from West Stockbridge. It stated that the tree this year weighs around 11 tons.
According to an NBC statement, the tree will be given to the nonprofit Habitat for Humanity after the middle of January so that its wood may be utilized to construct homes for the underprivileged.
In an interview in early November, Earl Albert claimed that he had paid tribute to his late wife, Leslie, by giving the tree to be used as the 2024 Rockefeller Center Christmas tree. The tree was planted in 1967 by newlyweds Albert and Leslie.
After a stroke, Albert was still “looking forward to the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting, and working hard to be able to attend in person,” according to a statement from his family.
What is the tree lighting’s history?
The ritual carries on a long-standing custom. According to the tree’s history page, the first tree was put up in Rockefeller Center in 1931 by employees who donated their money to the show. The lighting ceremony began two years later. It was telecast in 1951.
After the ceremony, when will I be able to visit the tree?
The Rockefeller Center said on its website that following Wednesday night’s celebration, the tree will be lighted from 5 a.m. to midnight until mid-January. A 24-hour light show is planned for Christmas Eve, with an early cutoff of 9 p.m. for New Year’s Eve, when revelers will swarm neighboring Times Square.
