How to Watch the Rockefeller Tree Lighting Live to See the Magical Xmas Tradition
There’s a reason the Rockefeller Christmas tree is a national tradition, and if you’ve been following it every year since it started, you may be wondering how to watch the Rockefeller tree lighting live to not miss the festive and magical start to the 2023 holiday season.
For those who don’t know: The Rockefeller Christmas Tree is a multi-story-high Christmas tree placed each year at Rockefeller Center in New York City. The tree is put in place in mid-November and lit in a public ceremony annually on the Wednesday evening following Thanksgiving. The lighting ceremony was first broadcast in 1997 as part of the television special, Christmas in Rockefeller Center, which has aired each year ever since.
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The first Rockefeller Christmas tree was put up in 1931 during the Depression-era construction of Rockefeller Center when workers decorated a 20-foot balsam fir with strings of cranberries, garlands of papers and tin cans on Christmas Eve. The lighting of the first official Rockefeller Christmas tree took place two years later. Though the first Rockefeller Christmas tree was a balsam fir, the tree is historically a Norway spruce between 69 to 100 feet tall. The Rockefeller Center Christmas historically goes down in the second week of January, after which it’s traditionally donated as lumber by the Rockefeller Center.
So where can homes stream Christmas in Rockefeller Center? Read on for how to watch the Rockefeller tree lighting live at home to see the magical New York City tradition.
When is the Rockefeller tree lighting?
The Christmas in Rockefeller Center special airs on November 29, 2023, at 8 p.m. ET on NBC. The Rockefeller lighting will happen at 10 p.m. ET.
How to watch the Rockefeller tree lighting live
Christmas in Rockefeller Center and the Rockefeller tree lighting air on NBC, which is available to stream on services like Sling. Sling offers two plans with NBC in select local markets: Sling Blue, which starts at $40 per month depending on your market, and Sling Orange + Blue, which starts at $55 per month depending on your market. Sling also has a current deal, where users can subscribe for 50 percent off their first month, which brings the starting price for Sling Blue down to $20 for your first month and the starting price for Sling Orange + Blue down to $27.50 for your first month.
As for the differences between the plans, Sling Blue includes 42 channels; the ability to stream on three devices at the same time; and 50 hours of DVR storage. Sling Orange + Blue includes everything in Sling Blue, as well as additional sports and family channels from Sling Orange. Read on for step-by-step instructions on how to watch the Rockefeller tree lighting with Sling.
Watch Rockefeller Tree Lighting with Sling Blue
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Watch Rockefeller Tree Lighting with Sling Orange + Blue
$27.50+$55+50% Off
Visit Sling.com
Click “Try Us Today”
Create an account
Choose your plan between Sling Blue or Sling Orange + Blue
Enter your information and payment method, and check out
Sign into your Sling account
Navigate to NBC and start watching the Rockefeller tree lighting
For those who missed the Rockefeller tree lighting, the event can also be streamed on YouTube with videos from news outlets and guests who attended the celebration.
When did the Rockefeller tree come up?
The 2023 Rockefeller Christmas tree went up on November 11, 2023. However, the Rockefeller tree lighting wasn’t until November 29, 2023.
When does the Rockefeller tree come down?
The 2023 Rockefeller Christmas tree will remain on display for 45 days and will come down at 10 p.m. ET on January 13, 2024.
How big is the Rockefeller tree?
The 2023 Rockefeller Christmas tree is 80 feet tall and 43 feet wide and weigs 12 tons. It’s a Norway Spruce from Vestal, New York, just west of Binghamton, which is around 200 miles from New York City. The 2023 tree is decorated with 50,000 multicolored lights and topped with a Swarovski crystal star.
Rockefeller Center head gardener Erik Pauze told RockefellerCenter.com in November 2023 about what he looked for in a tree. “What I look for is a tree you would want in your living room, but on a grander scale. It’s got that nice, perfect shape all around,” he said “And most of all, it’s gotta look good for those kids who turn the corner at 30 Rock; it needs to instantly put a huge smile on their faces. It needs to evoke that feeling of happiness.”
As for why Rockefeller Center uses a Norway Spruce, Pauze told the site that the type of tree is “is great for the scale it can achieve. It can hold the lights on its branches, and it stands there nice and proud as the tree should.”
Who are the Christmas in Rockefeller Center 2023 hosts?
The Christmas in Rockefeller Center 2023 hosts are Today show anchors Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb, Al Roker, and Craig Melvin.
Who are the Christmas in Rockefeller Center 2023 performers?
See below for a list of the Christmas in Rockefeller Center 2023 performer and celebrity guests appearing in the special.
Chloe Bailey
Adam Blackstone
Cher
David Foster
Liz Gillies
Darlene Love
Seth MacFarlane
Barry Manilow
Katharine McPhee
Keke Palmer
Carly Peace
Manuel Turizo
Christmas in Rockefeller Center and the Rockefeller tree lighting airs on November 29, at 8 p.m. on NBC. Stream it with Sling Blue or Sling Orange + Blue.
Watch Rockefeller Tree Lighting
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