From Upstate NY to the Big Apple: Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Heads to Manhattan

WEST EDMESTON, NY — A towering Norway spruce from Upstate New York is heading for the holiday spotlight as this year’s Rockefeller Center Christmas tree.

The 76-foot tree was cut down Thursday, November 5, in West Edmeston and loaded onto a flatbed truck ahead of its approximately 200-mile journey to Manhattan. It is scheduled to arrive at Rockefeller Center on Saturday, November 7.

Approximately 75 years old, the spruce measures about 50 feet across and weighs roughly 11 tons. Once installed at Rockefeller Plaza, it will undergo its holiday transformation, with crews adding more than 50,000 multicolored LED lights and a Swarovski star.

The annual tree-lighting ceremony is scheduled for Wednesday, December 2, from 7 to 10 p.m. Rockefeller Center will also welcome the tree’s arrival with “Meet the Tree Day” on November 7, featuring family activities and photo opportunities.

The tradition began in 1931, when construction workers at Rockefeller Center put up a Christmas tree decorated with handmade garlands. The first formal lighting ceremony followed in 1933. This year, a tree rooted in West Edmeston will take its place in that long-running New York tradition.

Its purpose will continue after the decorations come down. Following the holiday season, the tree will be milled into lumber and donated to Habitat for Humanity to support homebuilding.