The famous Rockefeller Plaza Christmas tree is being lit for the 83rd time on Wednesday night. The event will be carried live on WPTV NewsChannel 5 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
The tree will remain in place until early January 2016. Christmas and New Year's Eve the tree will be illuminated for 24 hours, but other days it will be lit 5:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.
The iconic Rockettes will perform at the Radio City Christmas Spectacular.
The tree is a 78-foot tall Norway Spruce weighing about 10 tons and estimated to be 80 years old.
Tens of thousands of energy-efficient LED holiday lights are wrapped in the branches to make it sparkle. A star made of Swarovski crystal is the crowning jewel.
Anchors of the "Today" show, Matt Lauer, Savannah Guthrie, Al Roker and Natalie Morales, will host the broadcast. Performances will also be included by Sting, Mary J. Blige, Andrea Bocelli, The Band Perry, Andy Grammer, Carly Rae Jepsen, Pentatonix, Band of Merrymakers, and James Taylor, featuring world-renowned trumpeter Chris Botti.
When the tree is taken down, it will be milled into lumber for Habitat for Humanity.
During the course of history, the Rockefeller tree lighting has grown in scale over the years. The tree itself has gotten larger as have the performances. It wasn't broadcast live until the 1950s.
The 2015 tree will not be the largest in history. That came in 1999, when the tree was 100 feet tall.
Tree lighting ceremonies are happening locally across Palm Beach County. Read more HERE.
To see various holiday programming that will air on WPTV NewsChannel 5, or television guides on any day of the week, visit THIS LINK.
