Expand / Collapse search
☰

Rockefeller Christmas tree lighting: Date and time, street closures

By
Published  December 1, 2025 2:56pm EST
Christmas in NYC
FOX 5 NY
Rockefeller Christmas tree is cut down

Rockefeller Christmas tree is cut down

The 75-foot-high Norway Spruce was cut down early Thursday morning and hoisted onto a flatbed truck by crane. It will travel 140 miles (225 kilometers) to Rockefeller Center. The wrapped tree will be brought into New York City by flatbed truck and raised into place at Rockefeller Center on Saturday, Nov. 8.

The Brief

    • The annual Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony is only days away, marking an unofficial start to the holiday season in the city.
    • The towering Norway Spruce stands 75 feet tall, weighs 11 tons and measures 45 feet in diameter, according to Rockefeller Center.
    • The Rockefeller tree will be lit on Wednesday, Dec. 3, at 7 p.m during the live broadcast "Christmas in Rockefeller Center."

NEW YORK - The annual Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony is only days away, marking an unofficial start to the holiday season in the city.

FOX 5 NY will provide live coverage beginning at 7 p.m. on Dec. 3.

What we know:

The 2025 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree comes from the Russ family home in East Greenbush, New York, making it a true New York native.

JUMP TO: Time l Location l Street Closures

The towering Norway Spruce stands 75 feet tall, weighs 11 tons and measures 45 feet in diameter, according to Rockefeller Center.

What time is the tree lighting at Rockefeller Center?

The Rockefeller tree will be lit on Wednesday, Dec. 3, at 7 p.m during the live broadcast "Christmas in Rockefeller Center."

NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 18: The Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center shines bright as the sun rises on December 18, 2024, in New York City. (Photo by Gary Hershorn/Getty Images)

Expand

Where is the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree?

Visitors can see the tree at 45 Rockefeller Plaza in New York City.

Image 1 of 6
▼

Shoppers wait in line to enter FAO Schwartz at Rockefeller Center in New York, US, on Friday, Nov. 28, 2025. US consumers are heading into the official start of the holiday shopping season Friday with a host of economic concerns, including a cooling job market, stagnant wages, persistent inflation and the looming fallout from tariffs. Photographer: Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The tree will be lit daily from 5 a.m. to midnight. On Christmas Eve, the tree will be lit for 24 hours and on New Year's Eve, it will be lit from 5 a.m. - 9 p.m.

The tree will remain on display through early January before being repurposed into lumber for Habitat for Humanity, continuing its legacy of giving long after the season ends.

NYC street closures

The following streets will be closed for the tree lighting ceremony:

  • 46th Street, between 5th Avenue and 6th Avenue
  • 47th Street, between 5th Avenue and 6th Avenue
  • 48th Street, between 5th Avenue and 6th Avenue
  • 49th Street, between 5th Avenue and 6th Avenue
  • 50th Street, between 5th Avenue and 6th Avenue
  • 51st Street, between 5th Avenue and 6th Avenue
  • 52nd Street, between 5th Avenue and 6th Avenue
  • Rockefeller Plaza, between 48th Street and 51st Street
  • 6th Avenue, between 46th Street and 52nd Street
  • 5th Avenue, between 46th Street and 52nd Street

The Source: This article includes information from the websites of Rockefeller Plaza and New York City's Department of Transportation.

Christmas in NYCHolidaysNew York City