New York’s most famous holiday guest is on its way to Midtown. The 2026 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree, a 76-foot Norway spruce from West Edmeston, New York, arrives at Rockefeller Plaza on Saturday, November 7. The tree is approximately 75 years old, measures 50 feet in diameter and weighs about 11 tons.
Its arrival comes with a party. Meet the Tree Day returns on November 7 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., a free, family-friendly celebration with festive workshops, activities and special photo moments as the spruce makes its official debut. Entry is first-come, first-served.
The big moment follows on Wednesday, December 2, when the Tree Lighting Ceremony takes place from 7 to 10 p.m. The tree will sparkle with more than 50,000 multicolored LED lights strung along approximately five miles of wire, topped by the dazzling Swarovski star designed by architect Daniel Libeskind. The celebration, a New York tradition since 1933, will also air live on NBC’s Christmas in Rockefeller Center broadcast.
After the lighting, the tree stays on view through mid-January 2027 at Center Plaza, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues and 49th and 50th Streets, and viewing it from the public areas is free. And the story ends happily: when the season closes, the tree will be donated to Habitat for Humanity and milled into lumber for building homes.
Photo: Rockefeller Center
