The Rockefeller Center tree lighting has been a tradition for over 75 years. This annual occurrence is also New York's most celebrated event!

This year, the tree will be lit on Wednesday, November 30th with live performances from top artists, as well as previously taped performances from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the Rockefeller Plaza (between West 48th & West 51st Streets and 5th & 6th Avenues in Manhattan).

The history of the tree lighting didn’t start out as the grand event it is today. In fact, the tree has a very interesting history that we’d like to share with you.

The first tree was put up on Christmas Eve in 1931, measuring only 20 feet tall. Then in 1933, a Rockefeller Center publicist organized the first official tree lighting ceremony. A few years later, in 1936, two trees were put up in the Center to celebrate the opening of the landmark skating rink.

That number then grew to three trees in 1942, when Rockefeller Center did its part to help the war effort. The trio of trees were decked out in classic red, white, and blue to symbolize our country’s unity. However, those trees would not stay lit for long. In 1944, the trees remained unlit because of the wartime blackout regulations and in 1945, organizers used six ultraviolet light projectors to make all of the 700 fluorescent globes on the tree appear to glow in the dark to make up for the darkness of the previous year!

By the 1950’s, America had already fallen in love with the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree. In 1951, NBC televised the tree lighting ceremony for the first time ever, and from 1953 to 1955, the tree lighting was televised on the Howdy Doody show. It was an amazing feat. Some might say that the Rockefeller Christmas tree is now the most famous Christmas tree of all time!

In 1956, a New Hampshire man gave a 65-foot white spruce to the governor of New Hampshire who then in turn offered it to the Rockefeller Center as a gift. Ever since that time, the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree has been of a grand stature, measuring anywhere from 65 feet to 100 feet tall! In 1999, the largest tree in Rockefeller History was chosen from Killingworth, CT. The tree was 100 feet high, was 100 years old and weighed 10 tons! Definitely a memorable way to celebrate the dawn of a new millennium!

In 2007, an eco-friendly change took place when the tree crew began using a two person handsaw to cut the tree down. Additionally, the tree lights were switched to an energy-saving 30,000 LED lights, which use only a fraction of the electricity as traditional bulbs. After the tree was taken down, it was donated to Habitat for Humanity for use as green wood in home building projects.

Wow – a lot has happened in the past 75 years or so! If you’re planning on attending the 2011 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting, be sure to reserve your Christmas in NYC vacation package with us today. The crowd for the ceremony is expected to be 10,000 this year and we want to make sure that you don’t miss any of the NYC holiday activities!