Christmas in New York City doesn’t officially start until NBC airs its annual “Christmas in Rockefeller Center” special. Each year, the network rounds up a group of talented stars to perform Christmas classics before the tree lighting.

The 87th annual holiday special will feature the lighting of a 77-foot tall, 46-foot wide Norway Spruce. The Christmas tree weighs around 12 tons and is from the Village of Florida in Orange County, NY.

“Christmas in Rockefeller Center” will air on Wednesday, Dec. 4 at 8 p.m. EST on NBC. However, the holiday event can also be streamed on NBC Live or the NBC App. However, users will need to use their logins to gain access to the live show.

Before the lighting takes place, the audience will be entertained by festive tunes sung by John Legend, Gwen Stefani, Derek and Julianne Hough, NE-Yo, Lea Michele, Brett Eldredge and more.

The actual lighting is expected to take place around 9 p.m. Viewers and onlookers can expect to see more than 50,000 multi-colored LEDs light of the tree, which will be topped with a remarkable Swarovski star.

The tree will remain on display until Jan. 17, 2020. After that, it will be milled into lumber and donated to Habitat for Humanity. The materials will then be used to build homes in the region. This will mark the 11th year that NBCUniversal has partnered with the Arbor Day Foundation. The goal of the campaign is to encourage tree-planting efforts that will promote recovery in disaster-stricken areas.

Don’t miss a moment of the annual holiday tradition when “Christmas in Rockefeller Center” airs Wednesday night on NBC.

Christmas tree
Visiting the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center is a great way to celebrate the holidays. Pictured: A view of the Rockefeller Plaza during the 85th Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony on Nov. 29, 2017 in New York City. Angela Weiss/AFP/Getty Images
RELATED STORIES
Christmas