The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree has stood as one of New York City’s most recognizable holiday traditions since construction workers put up a modest 20-foot balsam fir on the site in 1931, decorating it themselves with cranberries, paper garlands, and tin cans during the depths of the Great Depression. Two years later, in 1933, Rockefeller Center held its first official tree lighting, and the annual ceremony at the plaza entrance of 30 Rockefeller Plaza has grown into a nationally televised event ever since.
Each year a Norway spruce, typically standing somewhere between 69 and 100 feet tall, is donated, transported to Midtown Manhattan, and raised above the Rockefeller Plaza ice rink before being strung with roughly 50,000 multicolored LED lights and crowned with a massive Swarovski crystal star. More than half a million people are estimated to pass by the tree each day during the holiday season, making it one of the most visited seasonal attractions in the country.
Stats at a Glance
- Location: 30 Rockefeller Plaza, Midtown Manhattan, NYC
- First tree: 1931
- First official lighting: 1933
- Typical height: About 69 to 100 feet
- Tallest tree on record: 100 feet (1999, from Killingworth, Connecticut)
- Lights: About 50,000 LED lights
- Topper: Swarovski crystal star, about 900 lbs, 3 million crystals
- Famous for: Annual nationally televised lighting ceremony
A Tradition Born From the Depression
The very first Rockefeller Center tree was a humble, unofficial gesture: construction workers building the complex pooled their money for a small balsam fir and trimmed it with handmade decorations in 1931. The tradition became official in 1933, when a 50-foot spruce was lit in front of the newly built RCA Building, and by 1936 a skating pageant was added to celebrate the opening of the Rockefeller Plaza ice rink beneath the tree.
Over the following decades the ceremony grew into a national event, reaching television audiences for the first time in 1951 and moving to live network broadcast in 1997. Each tree is sourced as a donation from a private property, and since 2007 the retired trees have been milled into lumber for Habitat for Humanity rather than discarded.
Lighting Night and the Swarovski Star
The tree lighting ceremony, usually held the first Wednesday after Thanksgiving, draws tens of thousands of spectators to Rockefeller Plaza and millions more watching on television as the tree’s lights are switched on in a single dramatic moment. The tree remains lit nightly through early January, overlooking skaters on the rink below.
Since 2018, the tree has been topped by a redesigned Swarovski star created with architect Daniel Libeskind, featuring 70 spikes and roughly 3 million crystals across its surface. The star replaced an earlier Swarovski topper that had crowned the tree since 2004, continuing a tradition of pairing the rustic spruce with a glittering, modern centerpiece.
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Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree FAQs
What kind of tree is used at Rockefeller Center?
It is almost always a Norway spruce, chosen for its full, symmetrical shape and ability to hold tens of thousands of lights.
How tall is the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree?
Trees typically range from about 69 to 100 feet tall; the tallest on record was a 100-foot spruce from Killingworth, Connecticut, in 1999.
What happens to the tree after the holidays?
Since 2007, the tree has been milled into lumber and donated to Habitat for Humanity for use in home-building projects.
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Photo: Praneeth Thalla / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.