The star-studded tree lighting ceremony at Rockefeller Center in New York City serves as an unofficial start to the Christmas season once more.
The “American Idol” winner Kelly Clarkson, whose talk show is recorded at 30 Rock, will emcee the ceremony and accompanying television special, “Christmas in Rockefeller Center,” once again.
More than 20 years have passed since Clarkson’s first performance at the ceremony, and last year she celebrated the milestone by hosting. She mentioned her hosting responsibilities from the previous year when she said on her show this month, “I was all of a sudden in a Charlie Brown movie, and it was magical.”
After filming at Universal Studios in Universal City, California, “The Kelly Clarkson Show” relocated to New York City last year. Clarkson expressed her excitement at hosting the tree lighting event once more.
During her presentation, Clarkson declared, “I love the holidays in New York.” It feels like you’re in a movie when you live here around Christmas. Nothing compares to it anywhere in the world, particularly the ritual for lighting the trees.
How can I physically attend the event?
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.
However, attendees in person will want to pack light. The National Weather Service predicts temperatures will be 7 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit below normal, with the possibility of snow and showers later next week.
What’s on the tree?
The tree will be adorned 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.
Who is scheduled to attend the ceremony?
With performances by the Backstreet Boys, Jennifer Hudson, the country combo Dan + Shay, Broadway star Megan Hilty, Thalia, dubbed the Queen of Latin Pop, and others, the ceremony and concert will be a holiday musical extravaganza.
Also performing will be the energetic Radio City Rockettes, the main attraction of the yearly “Christmas Spectacular” at the nearby Radio City Music Hall.
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After the ceremony, how can I view the tree?
The tree will be lit from 5 a.m. to midnight through mid-January following the festivities on Wednesday night.
According to the Rockefeller Center’s website, it will be lit for 24 hours on Christmas Eve, but it will close early on New Year’s Eve, when crowds of revelers would swarm neighboring Times Square, at 9 p.m.
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What is the tree lighting’s history?
The ritual carries on a long-standing custom that dates back to Rockefeller Center’s founding.
According to the tree’s history page, the first tree was planted in 1931 at the New York City landmark’s construction site by laborers who donated their money for the exhibit. The lighting ceremony began two years later. It was telecast in 1951.
