Guides Prices checked September 30, 2026
The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree in 2026: the date, the hours, and how to see it
The tree gets lit on a Wednesday, the plaza gets fenced off, and the best look costs nothing on any other night. Here is what is confirmed and what is not.
The short answer
Rockefeller Center says the 2026 tree arrives Saturday, November 7 and is lit at the Tree Lighting Ceremony on Wednesday, December 2. Viewing hours and the broadcast details are not announced yet; in 2025 the tree was lit from 5 a.m. to midnight and the ceremony aired on NBC at 8 p.m. The subway stop is 47-50 Sts-Rockefeller Ctr (B, D, F, M). Dates checked September 2026.
- Tree arrives Sat, Nov 7 (official)
- Lighting Wed, Dec 2 (official)
- Viewing hours Not announced yet
- Broadcast Not announced yet
- Saks light show Not announced yet
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What is confirmed, and what is not
Rockefeller Center's own tree page says the 2026 tree returns to the Plaza on November 7 and that the annual Tree Lighting Ceremony takes place December 2. The same page says viewing hours and more details are coming, so nothing else is official yet (checked September 2026). That lighting date fits the usual pattern: the Wednesday in the week after Thanksgiving, which was December 3 in 2025, December 4 in 2024 and November 29 in 2023. Thanksgiving is November 26 this year.
| Question | Answer for 2026 | Last year, for planning |
|---|---|---|
| Tree arrives | Saturday, November 7 (official) | Saturday, November 8, 2025 |
| Tree lit | Wednesday, December 2 (official) | Wednesday, December 3, 2025 |
| Broadcast | Not announced yet | NBC, 8 p.m. ET, December 3, 2025 |
| Hours the tree is lit | Not announced yet | 5 a.m. to midnight; all night on Christmas Eve; until 9 p.m. on New Year's Eve |
| Comes down | Not announced yet | Mid-January |
Crowds, and when to go
On lighting day the area between Fifth and Sixth Avenues, from 46th to 52nd Streets, was closed to traffic in 2025, with security checkpoints and heavy foot traffic, according to Fox 5. Expect the same shape again: you watch the ceremony on television, or from wherever the barricades let you stand. Our advice, not the operator's: skip the lighting night. The tree looks the same at 6 a.m. on a Tuesday, when you can get to the railing, and on a weeknight after 9 p.m. once the post-dinner crush has thinned. Weekends in the second and third weeks of December are the worst of it.
Getting there
The closest subway stop is 47-50 Sts-Rockefeller Ctr (B, D, F, M). The E and M stop at 5 Av/53 St, and the 1 at 50 St. Holiday weekend service changes for December are not posted yet, so check the MTA's service-change page the day you go. The Plaza sits between 49th and 50th Streets, and the rink entrance is on 49th between Fifth and Sixth.
The Saks light show across the street
Saks Fifth Avenue, at 611 Fifth Avenue between 49th and 50th Streets, put on a sound-and-light show on its facade in 2025: it opened November 24 with a Rockettes performance, ran every 10 minutes from 5 to 11 p.m., and stayed through January 4, per CBS New York. The show skipped 2024 entirely, so a return is not a given, and Saks has announced nothing for 2026. It pairs with the windows walk.
How long it stays up
Last season the tree stayed until mid-January, per NBC, and the lumber went to Habitat for Humanity. A 2026 takedown date has not been published. If you want the tree lit, go before New Year's Day; on New Year's Eve in 2025 it went dark at 9 p.m.
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The free version: 6 a.m. or after 9 p.m.
The plaza is a public street. The tree costs nothing on any night that is not lighting night, and the crowd is thin at the edges of the day.
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Top of the Rock, for the tree from above
The observation deck looks down on the Plaza, which makes the tree and the rink one picture. Timed tickets mean you skip the street crowd entirely.
The questions people actually ask
When is the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting in 2026?
Wednesday, December 2, 2026, per Rockefeller Center (checked September 2026). The tree itself arrives Saturday, November 7. The broadcast network and time have not been announced; the 2025 ceremony aired on NBC at 8 p.m. Eastern.
What time is the tree lit each night?
Rockefeller Center has not posted 2026 viewing hours. In 2025 the tree was lit from 5 a.m. to midnight, all night on Christmas Eve and until 9 p.m. on New Year's Eve, per NBC. Treat that as last year's pattern.
How long is the Rockefeller tree up?
Until mid-January in 2025-26, per NBC. The 2026-27 takedown date is not announced.
Can you go to the tree lighting ceremony?
We found no public ticket to the ceremony, and the surrounding blocks were closed with checkpoints in 2025. Most people watch on television or see the tree another night. Confirm the 2026 closures when they post.
What subway goes to Rockefeller Center?
The B, D, F and M to 47-50 Sts-Rockefeller Ctr is the closest. The E and M stop at 5 Av/53 St, and the 1 at 50 St.
The sources
Where the prices and rules above come from. Check them yourself:
- Rockefeller Center: the Christmas Tree — the official 2026 arrival and lighting dates
- NBC Insider: how long the tree stays up — 2025 hours and takedown
- Today: the 2025 tree and broadcast details — the 2025 ceremony on NBC at 8 p.m.
- Fox 5 New York: tree lighting day closures — 2025 closures and crowds
- CBS New York: Saks holiday light show, 2025 — show times and dates
- Gothamist: Saks skips the 2024 light show
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