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On December 3, NBC celebrated the holiday season with the “Christmas in Rockefeller Center” special, featuring the annual lighting of the Rockefeller Center tree.
The show featured festive performances from many musical guests, including Tony Award winner Kristin Chenoweth, Laufey, Marc Anthony, Halle Bailey, Michael Bublé, New Edition, Brad Paisley, and the Radio City Rockettes. Check out photos from the special below.
The tradition of the Rockefeller Christmas Tree dates back more than 90 years to 1931 during the Great Depression. The first official tree-lighting ceremony occurred two years later in 1933 in front of 30 Rockefeller Plaza, the then eight-month-old RCA Building (the current Comcast Building). The Christmas tree gathering was enhanced in 1936 with the opening of the Rink at Rockefeller Center. NBC-TV televised the tree lighting for the first time in 1951 on “The Kate Smith Show” and as part of the nationwide “Howdy Doody” television show from 1953-55.
The annual holiday special celebrated the lighting of a 75-foot tall, 45-foot-wide Norway Spruce from East Greenbush, NY. The tree weighs approximately 11 tons, will be adorned with more than 50,000 multi-colored LED lights and topped with a three-dimensional Swarovski star.
“Christmas in Rockefeller Center” is produced by Universal Television in association with Jesse Collins Entertainment. Jesse Collins, Dionne Harmon and Jeannae Rouzan-Clay executive produce. Glenn Weiss directs.
Photo Credit: NBC
