2023 National Christmas Tree lighting ceremony: How to watch the 101st celebration live

Emily DeLetter, USA TODAY
Updated ·3 min read

Now standing upright again, the National Christmas Tree outside of the White House is set to be lit for the 2023 holiday season in a special ceremony.

The 101st National Christmas Tree Lighting is an annual tradition dating back to 1923 under President Calvin Coolidge, although there were earlier community Christmas celebrations at the U.S. Capitol and other places around Washington, D.C.

Even if you're not in Washington, D.C., there's still plenty of ways to watch the ceremony this year. From the official lighting to performances from a variety of bands and artists, here's what to know about the tree lighting.

National Christmas Tree: Winds topple 40-foot tree outside White House; video shows crane raising it upright

When is the National Christmas Tree lighting ceremony?

The official ceremony and tree lighting is set for Thursday, Nov. 30 at 5 p.m. ET, the National Park Service's White House and President's Park office told USA TODAY.

Only winners of a ticket lottery will be able to attend the ceremony in person, and submissions for the lottery ended Nov. 8.

The National Christmas Tree site will open to the public Dec. 2 through Jan. 1. The viewing hours are 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Lights turn on around sunset every evening, according to the National Park Service.

First Lady Jill Biden revealed the seasonal and holiday decorations inside the White House on Monday, themed around The "Magic, Wonder and Joy" of the Holidays.

Holiday decorations at the White House are seen on Monday, Nov. 27, 2023. The theme is the “Magic, Wonder, and Joy” of the Holidays. About 100,000 visitors are expected at the White House this season and hundreds of volunteers helped to decorate. There are almost 100 Christmas trees in the complex as well as over 33,000 ornaments.
Holiday decorations at the White House are seen on Monday, Nov. 27, 2023. The theme is the “Magic, Wonder, and Joy” of the Holidays. About 100,000 visitors are expected at the White House this season and hundreds of volunteers helped to decorate. There are almost 100 Christmas trees in the complex as well as over 33,000 ornaments.

How to watch the National Christmas Tree lighting ceremony

USA TODAY is scheduled to provided live coverage of the ceremony. You can stream the video at the embed at the top of the page or on USA TODAY's YouTube channel.

If you miss the live event, the ceremony on will be broadcast Dec. 15 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS and will also be available to stream live on Paramount+.

Where is the National Christmas Tree from?

This year's National Christmas Tree is new, a replacement from the previous tree that was planted in 2021. According to the National Park Service, the last tree was removed after developing needle cast, a fungal disease that causes needles to turn brown and fall off.

The new tree is a 40-foot Norway spruce cut from the Monongahela National Forest in West Virginia. The National Park Service partnered with the USDA Forest Service to find a tree and bring it to Washington, D.C.

After this holiday season, the National Park Service and its event partners said they will evaluate whether to continue using a cut tree, or if they will plant a new tree.

National Christmas Tree lighting ceremony performers, lineup

The event will be hosted by country singer Mickey Guyton and will feature performances by the U.S. Coast Guard’s Guardians Big Band, Darren Criss, Samara Joy, Ledisi, Reneé Rapp, St. Vincent, Joe Walsh and Dionne Warwick.

Winds caused National Christmas Tree to fall down

In this image made from video, the National Christmas Tree hangs from a crane in front of the White House as a crew works to lift it back up after it fell, Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023, amid high winter winds.
In this image made from video, the National Christmas Tree hangs from a crane in front of the White House as a crew works to lift it back up after it fell, Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023, amid high winter winds.

On Tuesday, a strong wind gust toppled the 40-foot National Christmas Tree, which is located on the Ellipse of the White House. Crews replaced a snapped cable, and the tree was placed upright again.

The National Weather Service in the Baltimore-Washington D.C. area warned of a winter weather advisory on Tuesday, with accumulating snow and wind gusts up to 45 mph. Washington D.C. and other areas of the country have experienced significant chills this week, as a cold blast moved south from the Arctic, bringing the coldest weather since March.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2023 National Christmas Tree lighting ceremony time; how to watch live