Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting Nov 29, 2023

Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting

As December approaches, New York gears up for a sparkling spectacle. On November 29, the Rockefeller Center Tree Lighting will bring you festive vibes. The roots of this holiday tradition go back to 1931, when builders put up a balsam fir to show gratitude for their jobs amid the bleakness of the Great Depression. That tree was decorated with paper garlands and tin cans and in 1933 the first tree-lighting ceremony took place. Today, this towering Norway spruce is adorned with over 50,000 multicolored LED lights and topped with a Swarovski crystal star. The illumination of the 80-foot tree is a full-blown extravaganza with musical performances and celebrity sightings. Its mesmerizing glow marks the official arrival of the holiday season in the city that never sleeps, and you don"t want to miss it!

© Jonathan Orenstein/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Nov 29, 2018A Christmas market with a long history
Nov 29, 2019Opt outside today
Nov 29, 2020New Zealand s loneliest mountain
Nov 29, 2021Rainbow Mountain
Nov 29, 2022Giving Tuesday
Nov 29, 2024Mont-Saint-Michel, Normandy, France
Nov 29, 2025Red deer stag in De Hoge Veluwe National Park, Netherlands

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Jun 23, 2023Pollinator Week
Jan 10, 2018Weaverbird nests at Kenya’s Samburu National Reserve
Jul 12, 2020A day to take a moment
Jan 18, 2019An opulent backdrop for a historic event
Jan 12, 2022Take the Stairs Day
Apr 21, 2025International Dark Sky Week
Mar 17, 2023St. Patricks Day in County Waterford, Ireland
Apr 9, 2023Happy Easter!
Aug 29, 2025Aerial view of Plaza Mayor, Madrid, Spain
Feb 29, 2024Leap day
Oct 4, 2023World Space Week
Jun 1, 2020The largest living organism on Earth
Oct 3, 2019Love on ice
Mar 7, 2020Summer winds down in the Southern Hemisphere
May 22, 2021Blue paradise on the Costa Brava
Aug 8, 2024Spotted owlet, Bangkok, Thailand
Oct 19, 2023Mekong River Delta, Long An, Vietnam
Aug 25, 2019A desert arts pop-up, just popped up
Jun 28, 2021A medieval celebration in the Mediterranean
Apr 7, 2022Málaga, Spain
Jun 16, 2023World Sea Turtle Day
Oct 1, 2022Yosemite National Park turns 132
Nov 8, 2023Manatee Awareness Month
Sep 6, 2025National Hummingbird Day
May 16, 2023American Wetlands Month
Mar 22, 2024World Water Day
Jul 20, 2023International Moon Day
Jun 6, 2022Indigo bunting
Sep 1, 2020National Mushroom Month
Aug 15, 2025Spotted eagle rays in the Galápagos Islands