The holiday season in NYC officially starts tomorrow morning!
The 2026 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree, a 76-foot Norway spruce, rolls into Midtown on Saturday, November 7, and you can watch a crane hoist it into place for free.
And this year’s tree comes with a story worth knowing before you go.
The story behind this year’s tree
The 76-foot Norway spruce comes from West Edmeston, New York, about 200 miles from the city.
Carl Camenga planted it with his son, Wade, in the early 1970s, right next to the home he built, according to WBNG.
Camenga died on Christmas Day a decade ago, and another family now lives in the house.
Current owner Rebecca Decker said Camenga’s family reached out to share the tree’s history once Rockefeller Center came calling.
“That has been the most heartfelt and bittersweet thing I share with them,” she said.
The tree weighs a whopping 11 tons and stretches 50 feet wide.
It’s traveling to the city on a 100-foot flatbed trailer, with sheriff’s deputies and state police escorting it along the way.
How to watch it arrive for free
The tree will be driven onto Center Plaza in front of 30 Rockefeller Plaza, between 49th and 50th Streets and Fifth and Sixth Avenues, on Saturday, November 7.
Here’s when to show up (times are approximate, because 11-ton trees run on their own schedule):
- 7 am: The tree pulls up on 49th Street
- 7:30 am: It’s driven onto Center Plaza
- 8:30 am: Crews hammer a spike into the trunk
- 9 am: A crane lifts the tree off its trailer, dangles it mid-air and sets it into place
The whole thing should wrap by about 10:30 am.
You don’t need a ticket to watch from the plaza area, so bundle up, grab a coffee and get there early for a good view!
Meet the Care Bears, too
Rockefeller Center is turning the day into “Meet the Tree Day” with a holiday workshop on the North Plaza, between 48th and 49th Streets, from 10am to 1pm.
Presented by Care Bears and FAO Schwarz, it features six Care Bears characters, the brand’s biggest character appearance ever at a single event.
Kids (and kids at heart) can write holiday letters, add a wish to “The Caring Tree” and make keepsakes at the Care-A-Lot Craft Corner.
A Meet the Tree + Top of the Rock ticket gets you expedited entry to the workshop, plus Care Bears giveaways 70 floors up.
Mark your calendar for the lighting
The tree will be lit on Wednesday, December 2, with 50,000 LED lights and its famous Swarovski star, and it will stay up until January 9, 2027.
After the holidays, it’ll be milled into lumber for Habitat for Humanity homes.
And while you’re there, The Rink at Rockefeller Center is celebrating its 90th season this year.
Looking for more to do? Check out our guide to the best things to do in NYC this weekend.