The Rockefeller Christmas tree lighting 2026 is on Wednesday 2 December 2026, during the live "Christmas in Rockefeller Center" broadcast. The tree, a Norway spruce from West Edmeston, New York, reaches the plaza on Saturday 7 November. The start time is not out yet. Take the subway to the 47-50 Sts-Rockefeller Center station and arrive early, or see the lit tree on another evening if you hate crowds. We re-checked the 2026 facts on 5 November 2026.
What is announced for 2026
Each fact below has its source and date. Rockefeller Center's live site blocks our tools with an error 403, so for its own pages we read Internet Archive copies.
| Fact | 2026 | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Lighting | Wednesday 2 December 2026, during the live broadcast | NY1, 26 Oct 2026; Time Out New York, 29 Sep 2026 |
| Start time | Not announced. The 2025 ceremony ran 7 to 10 p.m. | Time Out, 29 Sep 2026; Rockefeller Center archive copy, 7 Dec 2025 |
| Tree | Norway spruce from West Edmeston, NY, about 30 minutes west of Cooperstown | NY1, 26 Oct 2026 |
| Cut and arrival | Cut Thursday 5 November, arrives Saturday 7 November 2026 | NY1, 26 Oct 2026 |
| Lights and star | More than 50,000 multicolored LEDs and a Swarovski star | NY1, 26 Oct 2026 |
| On display until | 9 January 2027, then milled into lumber for Habitat for Humanity | NY1, 26 Oct 2026 |
| Daily viewing hours | Not announced | Time Out, 29 Sep 2026 |
Hours: Tree arrival: 7 November 2026. Tree lighting: 2 December 2026. Time, host and performers: not announced (Rockefeller Center holiday page, Internet Archive copy of 5 Oct 2026, read 15 Oct 2026). NY1 gives the same two dates and the tree facts in the table (NY1, 26 Oct 2026, read 5 Nov 2026)
Note: After the season, the 2026 tree goes to Habitat for Humanity, where it is milled, treated and made into lumber for home building (Rockefeller Center tree page, Internet Archive copy of 4 Sep 2026, read 15 Oct 2026; NY1, read 5 Nov 2026)
The 4 things still not announced on 5 November 2026:
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The start time of the ceremony.
-
The host and the performers.
-
The daily viewing hours for the tree.
-
The tree's height. NY1 did not give it.
NYC Tourism's 2026 holiday release, dated 25 August 2026, lists Rockefeller Center for December and gives no day. Fifth Avenue's holiday decorations start on 20 November, and its Open Streets day is 13 December (read 5 Nov 2026).
So, the date and the tree are set, and the time is the one thing to check again in late November.
What happened last year
Use last year as a guide, not a promise.
Hours: 2025: the tree arrived on 8 November and stayed on view through mid-January 2026. The lighting ceremony was on Wednesday 3 December, 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. (Rockefeller Center holiday page, Internet Archive copy of 7 Dec 2025, read 15 Oct 2026)
Note: The 2025 tree came down on Saturday 10 January 2026. The tree page's FAQ says the "Christmas in Rockefeller Center" broadcast airs live every year on NBC (Rockefeller Center tree page, Internet Archive copy of 4 Sep 2026, read 15 Oct 2026)
| Detail | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Tree arrives | 8 November | 7 November |
| Lighting | Wednesday 3 December, 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. | Wednesday 2 December, time not announced |
| Broadcast | Live on NBC | Live "Christmas in Rockefeller Center" broadcast (NY1) |
| Tree comes down | Saturday 10 January 2026 | On display until 9 January 2027 (NY1) |
In both years the lighting falls on the Wednesday after Thanksgiving. In 2026, Thanksgiving is on 26 November.
Take the subway and expect a security line
Subway: Station: 47-50 Sts-Rockefeller Center. Four entrances on Sixth Avenue at West 47th, 48th, 49th and 50th Streets. Two island platforms. MTA lists it as accessible. MTA's B line page shows the D, F and M, and its Manhattan map lists B, D, F and M (MTA pages, read 12 Oct 2026). Some lines run on weekdays only
Note: The last NYPD notice we could find is from 27 November 2018 for that year's lighting. It closed 48th to 51st Street between Sixth Avenue and Madison Avenue from 3 p.m. until the event ended. It told people to use mass transit, and to expect a security screening at 48th, 49th and 50th Streets at Fifth and Sixth Avenues (NYC.gov, NYPD notice, read 12 Oct 2026)
Note: Items banned in 2018: umbrellas, large coolers, alcohol, backpacks and large bags (same NYPD notice). Expect the same or a longer list in 2026
In 2018 the streets around the plaza closed from 3 p.m. Plan to walk the last few blocks, and have a second station in mind.
Seeing the tree without the ceremony
The ceremony is a crowded TV production, and the crowd gets screened. The tree is the same on any other night. Go on a weekday evening, and come out of the same subway station. Last year the tree stayed up until 10 January. NY1 says the 2026 tree stays up until 9 January 2027.
What is checked here and what is not
Checked on 5 November 2026: NY1's report of 26 October 2026 (lighting date, tree, lights, star, display end), Time Out New York's report of 29 September 2026 (lighting date, viewing hours not yet announced) and NYC Tourism's 2026 holiday release (25 August 2026).
Checked on 12 October 2026: MTA's B line page and Manhattan neighborhood map, and NYPD's notice of 27 November 2018.
Read on 15 October 2026: Internet Archive copies of Rockefeller Center's holiday page (5 October 2026 and 7 December 2025) and of its Christmas tree page (4 September 2026). The live rockefellercenter.com site returned an error 403 to every request.
Not confirmed: the 2026 start time, the host and performers, the daily viewing hours, the tree's height, the 2026 security rules, which MTA lines run on 2 December, and street closures for 2026. We did not attend the ceremony for this page.
