The city’s most celebrated symbol of holiday cheer, the 85-foot-tall Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree, will be lit Dec. 3 with a smattering of stars on hand.
The 82nd annual ceremony will begin at 7 p.m. and include performances from Cyndi Lauper, Trisha Yearwood, LeeAnn Rimes, Pentatonix, the Rockettes, Lady Gaga, Tony Bennett, Sara Bareilles, Seth MacFarlane and Idina Menzel. The 85-foot tall Norway spruce will decked out with 45.000 LED lights and be lit at 8:55 p.m.
The streets around Rockefeller Center and Radio Music City Hall, between West 48th and West 51st Streets and Fifth and Sixth Avenues, will be under gridlock alert. Due to expected heavy congestion, the city advises drivers to avoid the area between 3 p.m. to 11 p.m.
The tree will remain lit daily until Jan. 7.
For New Yorkers who prefer to on watch the ceremony from the comfort of their home can tune into NBC at 7 p.m. for “Christmas in Rockefeller Center.”
The lighting is co-hosted by Matt Lauer, Al Roker, Savannah Guthrie and Natalie Morales.
This year’s tree hails from a farm in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, 155 miles west of the city.
