when does the rockefeller tree get lit

The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree is traditionally lit in a big ceremony on the first Wednesday after Thanksgiving, in the early evening during a live TV special, with the actual “switch-on” happening later in the program, usually around 9–10 p.m.

Quick timing scoop

• The tree lighting ceremony happens once a year, on the first Wednesday after Thanksgiving in late November or early December.

• The TV special usually runs in prime time (about 7–10 p.m. Eastern), and the moment the Rockefeller tree gets lit is toward the end of the show.

• After that night, the tree is lit every day from early morning until around midnight through early January, with special hours on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.

How the lighting works

• The Rockefeller Christmas tree is covered in more than 50,000 LED lights and topped with a large Swarovski star, all switched on in one dramatic countdown moment.

• The ceremony includes live performances, celebrity guests, and then the host leads the countdown before the tree finally gets lit.

If you’re planning to go

• To see the tree actually get lit in person, people typically arrive hours early because streets around Rockefeller Center get extremely crowded and access is controlled.

• If you just want to see it glowing, you can visit on any night after the ceremony; the Rockefeller tree will already be lit and much easier to enjoy from different angles.

In short: the Rockefeller tree “gets lit” once in the big ceremony on the first Wednesday after Thanksgiving in the evening, then stays lit daily through the holiday season.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.