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:

Aug 20, 2023International Lighthouse Weekend
Jun 28, 2022Tafilalet oasis in Morocco
Dec 13, 2018Iceland awaits the Yule Lads
Jun 10, 2022Poppies in bloom
Oct 13, 2025Cedar Mesa, Utah, for Indigenous Peoples Day
Sep 21, 2024Oktoberfest, Munich, Germany
Nov 10, 2019Sunny day, sweepin the clouds away
Jul 16, 2021Whatever floats your boat
Jan 18, 2023White Sands National Park turns 90
Apr 6, 2025National Library Week
Oct 12, 2019It s aboat time for the Barcolana
Nov 23, 20191, 1, 2, 3: It s Fibonacci Day!
Feb 5, 2025Scottish Blackface sheep, Aberdeenshire, Scotland
Feb 9, 2026Amur leopard cat, Russia
Jan 18, 2026White Sands National Park, New Mexico
Nov 8, 2020Languid life on the Lakes
Jan 2, 2026Aerial view of Venice, Italy
May 14, 2024Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico
Nov 22, 2025Leshan Giant Buddha, Sichuan, China
May 13, 2018Happy Mother’s Day
Jun 11, 2023Goliath heron in Kruger National Park, South Africa
Jul 6, 2022Kissing Day
Mar 10, 2024Daylight saving time
Feb 28, 2019Over and under the delta
Nov 14, 2025Manatee Awareness Month
Apr 11, 2019Spring blooms in the Netherlands
Feb 25, 2019High above the reef
Aug 7, 2021Salt of the earth
Jan 11, 2026Blue walls of Chefchaouen, Morocco
Dec 15, 2025Spiegelgracht canal in Amsterdam, Netherlands