Rockefeller Center’s Christmas Tree Begins Journey to Manhattan

A 76-foot Norway spruce destined for Rockefeller Center was felled in West Edmeston, upstate New York, on November 5. The tree is about 75 years old, weighs roughly 11 tons and is approximately 50 feet wide.

Crews used a crane to lift the spruce onto a flatbed truck. It is set to travel about 200 miles to Rockefeller Plaza in Midtown Manhattan, accompanied by police, and is expected to arrive on Saturday.

Once in place, the tree will be decorated with more than 50,000 multicolored LED lights and topped with a 900-pound Swarovski star. Its lighting ceremony is scheduled for December 2 and will be broadcast live.

The Rockefeller Center tree tradition began in 1931, when construction workers put up a small tree adorned with handmade garlands. A formal lighting event was first held in 1933. This year’s tree is expected to remain on display until January 9, after which it will be turned into lumber for Habitat for Humanity, a housing nonprofit.