Everything You Need to Know About the 2024 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree

This year's massive Norway Spruce arrives at Rockefeller Center in Midtown Manhattan on November 9, 2024 from West Stockbridge, Massachusetts, likely on the back of a big flatbed truck. 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.

On November 9, Rockefeller Center is hosting a variety of free family activities from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. ET to celebrate the tree's arrival. The Rock and Roll Playhouse is set to perform covers of classic holiday jingles and bookstore McNally Jackson will host holiday storytimes on the Plaza. 

This year’s tree lighting ceremony will take place on December 4, 2024, the Wednesday after Thanksgiving. 

NBC will broadcast the lighting ceremony live as part of its annual Christmas in Rockefeller Center special, hosted by Kelly Clarkson. Tune in on December 4 from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock to watch the festive ceremony, which will feature musical performances and celebrity appearances. 

​​​​​"[The holiday special is] filled with the best music, star-studded surprises, and of course the lighting of the world famous Christmas tree that is so special," Clarkson said on her talk show about hosting Christmas in Rockefeller Center for the second year in a row. 

For several weeks! In 2024, the tree will be lit up and on display until January 11, 2025, 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.  

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. 

The 2024 Rockefeller Christmas tree is from West Stockbridge, Massachusetts, roughly 130 miles from the plaza. The last time the tree came from this area was in 1959. 

In past years, the tree has also come from upstate New York, Vermont, Connecticut, New Jersey, Ohio, and even Canada. 

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.”