There’s no missing it: Christmas season has come to New York. And to make it official, the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting this week will bring merriment, tourists and street closings.
The tree lighting is on Wednesday night, but several streets are already closed for preparations on Monday and Tuesday, according to the city Department of Transportation:
- 46th-52nd streets between Fifth and Sixth avenues
- Rockefeller Plaza between 48th-51st streets
- Fifth and Sixth avenues between 46th-52nd streets
Then, on Wednesday, more street closures are planned for the big event:
- Madison Avenue between 42nd-57th streets
- Fifth and Sixth avenues between 42-57th streets.
The closures coincide with some of this season’s official “gridlock alert days” when transportation officials anticipate the worst traffic of the year. There are city gridlock warnings this month on Dec. 3-6, Dec. 10-13 and Dec. 17-19.
More traffic alerts and advisories from the department can be found here.
The Rockefeller Center tree will be lit during the two-hour “Christmas at Rockefeller Center” broadcast beginning at 8 p.m. on Wednesday on NBC and Peacock.
This year’s tree, a 74-foot-tall Norway Spruce, comes from the Albert family’s property in West Stockbridge, Massachusetts. It’s the first time since 1959 that the Rockefeller Center tree has come from the Bay State.
The tree weighs about 11 tons and and spans 43 feet in diameter. It will remain on display through mid-January and will be lit from 5 a.m. to midnight most days, but will be lit for 24 hours on Christmas Eve.
According to Rockefeller Center, the tree will be milled into lumber for the charity group Habitat for Humanity after the season ends.
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