Reporting by Victoria E. Freile, New York Connect Team/Rockland-Westchester Journal News
A 76-foot-tall Norway spruce from Central New York will soon make its way to Manhattan to become this year’s Rockefeller Center Christmas tree.
The 75-year-old tree is from West Edmeston, a hamlet in Madison County. It weighs about 11 tons and measures 50 feet in diameter, according to a news release from Rockefeller Center. Previous trees in the region have been taken from Vestal in 2023 and Oneonta in 2020.
When will the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree arrive in NYC?
Donated by Rebecca Decker, the tree is scheduled to be cut down next week and transported about 200 miles to Manhattan on Nov. 7. There, it will be decorated with more than 50,000 multicolored LED lights and topped with a Swarovski star ahead of the annual tree-lighting ceremony on Dec. 2.
When is the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting?
The annual tree-lighting ceremony will take place from 7 to 10 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 2. The tree will remain on display through the first week of January.
The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree has been a holiday tradition since 1931, although the first formal tree-lighting ceremony wasn’t held until 1933. Since then, trees from across the Northeast, including many from New York, have taken center stage at Rockefeller Center.
What is Meet the Tree Day?
“Meet the Tree” Day is scheduled for Nov. 7, when the spruce arrives in Manhattan. The event invites New Yorkers to celebrate the tree’s arrival and kick off the 2026 holiday season.
After the holidays, the tree will be milled into lumber and donated to Habitat for Humanity.
Contributing: USA TODAY Network
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News.
