What date does the Rockefeller tree go up in 2026?

The tree arrives on the plaza on November 7, 2026, and the lighting ceremony is on Wednesday, December 2, 2026.

Do I need tickets to see the Rockefeller Christmas tree?

No. Seeing the tree is free and first-come, first-served, including on lighting night. Paid options like Top of the Rock or the rink are extras, not entry.

What time is the Rockefeller tree lit?

In 2025 it was lit every day from 5 am to midnight, for 24 hours on Christmas Eve and until 9 pm on New Year's Eve. Expect the same pattern in 2026.

How long does the Rockefeller tree stay up?

Until mid-January. The 2025 tree came down on Saturday, January 10, 2026.

When is the best time to see it?

Early morning or late at night. It's lit from 5 am, and at 7 am on a weekday you can walk right up to it. Evenings from 5 to 10 pm are shoulder to shoulder.

Where does the tree come from?

It changes every year and is usually a Norway spruce donated by a family in the Northeast. The 2026 tree hasn't been named yet.

Photo: Salon NYC · CC BY-SA 2.0

Walk-through · Midtown Manhattan · Free

Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree 2026

The tree everyone pictures when they think of New York at Christmas: a giant spruce over the skating rink, framed by the Channel Gardens angels and the tower above. It's free to see, lit from early morning until midnight, and part of a Midtown walk with the Fifth Avenue windows.

Dec 2, 2026 – mid-January 2027

Google 4.7 ★ · 202,255 reviews

At a glance

Lighting 2026: Wednesday, December 2, 2026 (tree arrives on the plaza Nov 7)
Lit each day: 5 am to midnight; all 24 hours on Christmas Eve; until 9 pm on New Year's Eve (2025 schedule)
Comes down: Mid-January — the 2025 tree came down on January 10
Cost: Free, no tickets. Top of the Rock tickets included close-up access to the tree in 2025
Where: Center Plaza, Rockefeller Center, between 49th and 50th Streets, Midtown Manhattan

Lighting ceremony Dec 2, 2026. Take-down date for 2027 not announced; the 2025 tree came down on Jan 10.

Is it worth it?

Go at least once — early in the morning or late at night if you want to actually see it without the crush.

What visitors say

Visitors say Rockefeller Center peaks at Christmas, when the tree goes up — mid-December is the full New York holiday experience, with enormous decorations and a buzzing crowd. The crowd is also the catch: it's shoulder to shoulder in the evenings.

Free
Skating rink beneath the tree
Lit 5 am to midnight
Fifth Avenue windows nearby

Getting there and getting in

Take the subway: B, D, F or M to 47–50 Sts–Rockefeller Center. Don't drive — Midtown garages are expensive and the streets are closed to traffic on busy nights.
On weekends and in the week before Christmas the NYPD runs one-way pedestrian corrals along Fifth and Sixth Avenues; enter from 49th or 50th Street.

Worth knowing

It stays lit from 5 am to midnight, so you don't have to go at peak evening hours.

Open in Google Maps

Center Plaza

Official site

Questions people ask

What date does the Rockefeller tree go up in 2026?: The tree arrives on the plaza on November 7, 2026, and the lighting ceremony is on Wednesday, December 2, 2026.
Do I need tickets to see the Rockefeller Christmas tree?: No. Seeing the tree is free and first-come, first-served, including on lighting night. Paid options like Top of the Rock or the rink are extras, not entry.
What time is the Rockefeller tree lit?: In 2025 it was lit every day from 5 am to midnight, for 24 hours on Christmas Eve and until 9 pm on New Year's Eve. Expect the same pattern in 2026.
How long does the Rockefeller tree stay up?: Until mid-January. The 2025 tree came down on Saturday, January 10, 2026.
When is the best time to see it?: Early morning or late at night. It's lit from 5 am, and at 7 am on a weekday you can walk right up to it. Evenings from 5 to 10 pm are shoulder to shoulder.
Where does the tree come from?: It changes every year and is usually a Norway spruce donated by a family in the Northeast. The 2026 tree hasn't been named yet.

Checked 2026-09-29. Sources: NBC New York — 2026 tree dates · Rockefeller Center (official) · NBC Insider — how to see the 2025 tree. Last season's numbers are labelled with their year until the organiser publishes 2026.

More Christmas lights in New York City

All 6 displays in New York City