Rockefeller Center’s iconic Christmas tree was illuminated by more than 50,000 multicolored lights Wednesday night as crowds gathered in the city to celebrate the holiday tradition.
The massive tree, a 12-ton, 80-foot-tall Norway spruce from upstate New York, was illuminated at Rockefeller Center by approximately five miles (8 kilometers) of LED light strings and topped with a 900 star. pounds covered in 3 million glistening crystals.
“The 2023 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree is officially lit ?,” reads a social media message on the Rockefeller Center account.
The 2023 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree is officially lit ? pic.twitter.com/QtXfw2Gfte
— Rockefeller Center (@rockcenternyc) November 30, 2023
Mayor Eric Adams participated in the lighting and a choir sang “Joy to the World.”
The opening ceremony featured appearances by Cher, Barry Manilow and Kelly Clarkson, among others. The Radio City Rockettes also performed.
“?Rockin’ around the Christmas tree by @rockcenternyc?
“The holiday season is BACK in New York City!” the mayor wrote in a message on social media.
?Rockin’ around the @rockcenternyc Christmas Tree?
The holiday season is BACK in New York City! pic.twitter.com/BBQOBINGig
— Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) November 30, 2023
Since the 1930s, the Christmas tree tradition has drawn thousands of visitors to the city each year during the Christmas season.
The tree will remain lit from 5 a.m. to midnight every day until January 13. On Christmas Day, it will be on 24 hours a day.
Police had warned of the possibility of protesters disrupting the event, as recent public events in New York have attracted activists seeking to draw attention to the war between Israel and Hamas.
Videos posted on social media showed several hundred pro-Palestinian protesters, many carrying Palestinian flags, crowded in front of the News Corp. building, not far from the site of the tree. The building houses Fox News, The Wall Street Journal and the New York Post.
Footage from the scene showed some protesters clashing with police outside the media company building as they tried to advance towards the tree, but police stopped them and the lighting ceremony was not interrupted.
The protesters then turned around and walked away down Sixth Avenue.
Last week, a group of protesters carrying a banner reading “Free Palestine” briefly disrupted the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, blocking the front of the parade floats in the street. They were finally stopped and the parade continued.
