‘Christmas in Rockefeller Center’ Airs Tonight: Here’s Where To Watch the Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony Online
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The holiday season doesn’t officially begin until the giant Christmas tree in the middle of Rockefeller Center in New York City is lit, bright and glorious.
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Hosted by Emmy- and Grammy Award-winner Kelly Clarkson, the 91st annual Christmas in Rockefeller Center is slated for Wednesday night, Nov. 29 at 8 p.m. PT/ET on NBC and Peacock.
Keep reading to find out how to watch Christmas in Rockefeller Center with and without a cable subscription, including options to watch the holiday spectacular for free.
Who Are the Celebrity Guests and Musical Performances for Christmas in Rockefeller Center?
Aside from Kelly Clarkson, there are a number of celebrity guests and recording artists who are going to appear throughout the holiday special. Check out a complete list of guest appearances during Christmas in Rockefeller Center, below:
Chloe Bailey
Adam Blackstone
Cher
David Foster
Liz Gillies
Darlene Love
Seth MacFarlane
Barry Manilow
Katharine McPhee
Keke Palmer
Carly Pearce
Manuel Turizo
Radio City Rockettes
How to Watch Christmas in Rockefeller Center Without Cable
Since Christmas in Rockefeller Center is being broadcast on NBC, the holiday showcase can also be streamed on internet-based streaming cable alternatives, some of which even offer free trials. If you act fast and sign up now, you can watch it online for free.
BEST STREAMING SERVICE OVERALL
DirecTV Stream
Packages from $64.99 per month
Watch Christmas in Rockefeller Center on DirecTV Stream. The cable alternative’s packages offer NBC, along with more than 75 other channels — such as ABC, Fox, CBS, AMC, Bravo, CNBC, Disney Channel, ESPN and much more.
The streamer also has a free five-day trial available, but that’s more than enough time to watch Christmas in Rockefeller Center. Afterward, you can either cancel the service or keep watching, with prices starting as low as $69.99 for the entry-level entertainment package. Other plans offer more than 105-150 channels, with prices ranging from $84.99 to $159.99 per month.
For a limited time, new subscribers can get a Visa gift card worth up to $400; learn more here.
BEST VALUE
Fubo
Packages from $74.99 per month
Watch Christmas in Rockefeller Center on NBC, as well as more than 170 other news, entertainment and sports channels with a subscription to Fubo — which starts at $54.99 per month for the first two months of service (reg. $74.99 per month). In addition, you can record more than 1,000 hours of TV shows, movies, games and more (including Christmas at Graceland on NBC) that you can even watch later on your smartphone, tablet, laptop or smart TV.
Meanwhile, other packages offer 254 channels for the Elite package for $64.99 per month for the first two months of service (reg. $84.99 per month), along with 298 channels, Showtime and 4K quality for the Premiere package for $74.99 monthly for two months (reg. $94.99 monthly).
The online TV streaming service also offers a five-day trial for new subscribers, so you can watch both Christmas in Rockefeller Center and Christmas at Graceland on NBC online for free during that time.
BEST LIVE TV STREAMING BUNDLE
Hulu + Live TV
Packages from $76.99
To watch Christmas in Rockefeller Center on NBC, a subscription to Hulu + Live TV is another fantastic option. The streaming service has access to more than 90 live channels — like BET, CNN, ESPN, Food Network and more — starting at $76.99 per month and comes with Hulu’s entire streaming library, as well as Disney+ and ESPN+.
In addition to live TV, Hulu + Live TV lets subscribers watch originals from Hulu, Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm (Star Wars), The Muppets Studio and Pixar, as well as ESPN+ for original sports programming and live sports from Formula 1 as well as the NFL, MLB and other sports leagues. It includes unlimited cloud DVR, too. Unfortunately, Hulu doesn’t offer a free trial at this time.
BEST BUDGET-FRIENDLY
Sling
Packages from $20 for the first month
Sling might be a good fit to watch Christmas in Rockefeller Center on NBC — and the live TV streaming service is on sale for half off your first month. With Sling Blue, which includes NBC, you can begin watching starting at $22.50 for your first month (reg. $45 per month).
Additionally, Sling Blue also has ABC, Bravo, Discovery Channel, NFL Network, National Geographic and other channels.
BEST FOR NBCUNIVERSAL MOVIES & TV
Peacock
Starting at $5.99 per month
If you want to watch Christmas in Rockefeller Center, the TV special is available to stream at home on Peacock.
Not a Peacock subscriber? You can sign up for just $5.99 per month, or $59.99 for an annual subscription for the ad-supported plan — an 18 percent savings. To go ad-free, a subscription goes for $11.99 per month, or $119.99 yearly for nearly 20 percent off an annual subscription.
Aside from Christmas in Rockefeller Center, you’ll also get access to originals like Poker Face, Bel-Air, Girls5eva and Sick; hit movies like Five Nights at Freddy’s, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Fast X, Asteroid City and Strays; live sports and entertainment from NBC Sports (including NFL games) and WWE; and more than 50 “always-on” streaming channels.
How to Watch Christmas in Rockefeller Center With Cable
Christmas in Rockefeller Center will be broadcast on NBC. You can watch through your cable TV provider; on NBC.com or NBC mobile apps with your cable TV account login.
How to Watch Christmas in Rockefeller Center Outside of the U.S.
If you’re outside of the U.S., then you can still stream Christmas in Rockefeller Center on any of the streaming services above when paired with ExpressVPN. It’s a virtual private network that lets you legally access U.S. web servers — even if you’re in another country — to stream on a smart TV, smartphone, tablet and laptop. Learn more about ExpressVPN here.
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