NEW YORK — Thousands packed New York City’s Rockefeller Center on Wednesday night for the annual holiday tree lighting.
The ceremony went off as planned, despite the deadly shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson just blocks away earlier in the morning.
Kelly Clarkson returned to host this year’s ceremony, which started at 8 p.m. with live music and performances, including the Backstreet Boys. The lights were flipped on just before 10 p.m.
Spectators started lining up at 4 p.m. to enter at 48th Street or 51st Street along Sixth Avenue.
The Eller family brought their young children, ages 6, 4 and 1, from North Carolina to celebrate the holidays in New York for the first time.
“They did really good. We got them to stop screaming,” Tia Eller said. “There were a lot of people in a small space. It was really awesome.”
“I always watch it on TV and record it, so it’s exciting,” said Josie Free from Alabama.
“It has been pretty seeing all the lights,” Tracey Free added.
When and where to see the Rockefeller Center tree
The Rockefeller Center tree will be lit up from 5 a.m. to midnight through mid-January. On Christmas Eve, it will be lit for 24 hours, and on New Year’s Eve, it will be lit from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m.
It’s located at 30 Rockefeller Center between West 49th and West 50th streets in Manhattan. Visitors traveling by mass transit should use the 47th-50th Streets-Rockefeller Center stop on the B, D, F and M lines.
Tickets can be purchased to skate at the Rockefeller Center ice rink, or to check out the view from the observation decks. For more than $300, you can buy a VIP pass for an up-close tour of the tree and a champagne toast.
What to know about this year’s Rockefeller Center tree
The Norway Spruce hails from West Stockbridge, Massachusetts, in the southern Berkshires region. It’s the first tree selected from Massachusetts since 1959.
The tree was cut down on Nov. 7 and arrived in the city on Nov. 9. It’s approximately 70 years old, stands 74 feet tall and weighs 11 tons.
It has been adorned with more than 50,000 colorful lights on five miles of wire, and it will be topped with a Swarovski star that weighs 900 pounds and is covered in 3 million crystals.
The history of the Rockefeller Center tree lighting
Organizers say the holiday tradition dates to 1931, when a group of workers pooled their money to buy a Christmas tree. They decorated the 20-foot tall Balsam Fir with garlands made by their families.
Two years later, Rockefeller Center held the first official tree lighting.
December 1999 holds the record for the largest tree — a 100-footer from Killingworth, Connecticut.
Get details about Gridlock Alert Days for the holiday season here.
