Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Arrives in New York City

Rockefeller Center Tree Set in Place in Midtown Manhattan

A 75-foot-tall Norway spruce that will serve as the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree arrived and was installed at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York City on Saturday morning.

Workers used a crane and ropes to lift the tree and set it into position in front of the midtown Art Deco skyscraper. The tree now stands overlooking the plaza’s ice skating rink. Footage recorded the previous night showed the tree traveling through the city at night on a trailer.

Tree’s Journey from East Greenbush to Manhattan

The Norway spruce weighs 11 tons and traveled approximately 150 miles south from East Greenbush, New York, a suburb of Albany, to reach Rockefeller Center. Homeowner Judy Russ and her family donated the tree for this year’s display.

According to Russ, the tree was planted by her husband’s great-grandparents in the 1920s. The spruce, now about a century old, was removed from the family’s property in East Greenbush before being transported to Manhattan for the holiday installation.

Planned Lighting and Decorations

The tree at Rockefeller Center will remain unlit until December 3. On that date, organizers plan to decorate it with 50,000 multicolored, energy-efficient LED lights. A Swarovski star, weighing 900 pounds, will be placed at the top of the tree as part of the display.

Post-Holiday Use and Involvement of Habitat for Humanity

After the holiday season, the affordable housing nonprofit Habitat for Humanity will have the tree milled for lumber. The organization plans to use the resulting wood in its housing efforts. Habitat for Humanity reports that it helped more than 3 million people build or improve their homes in 2024.

Longstanding Rockefeller Center Tradition

The Rockefeller Center Christmas tree is part of a tradition that began during the Great Depression. The first tree in this series of displays was 20 feet tall and decorated with homemade garlands.