Rockefeller Center’s Christmas tree is here for the holiday season
The iconic Rockefeller Center Christmas tree has arrived in New York City in preparation for the holiday season.
Midtown Manhattan shines brightest.
The Rockefeller Christmas tree lighting ceremony, an annual tradition that marks the start of the holiday season, was broadcast live on NBC and Peacock on Wednesday night, with performances by Brad Paisley, Laufey, Marc Anthony, Carly Pearce, Michael Bublé and others. Country icon Reba McEntire hosted the magical night, joined by NBC TODAY anchors Craig Melvin, Al Roker and Savannah Guthrie.
At the center of it all is a 75-foot-tall Norway spruce from East Greenbush, New York, a spectacular installation featuring 50,000 LED Christmas lights and a Swarovski star above.
Here we summarize the highlights.
How to see the Rockefeller Tree lit up
The live broadcast of the tree lighting will premiere on Wednesday, December 3rd at 8pm ET on NBC and Peacock.
Gwen Stefani starts the show
Gwen Stefani opened the ceremony in a pink dress while singing her new song “Shake the Snow Globe.”
In her second performance of the night, Stefani performed “Hot Cocoa” while continuing her fifth performance at the annual show. For the final song, she wore a dazzling green dress and sang “You Make It Feel Like Christmas,” the title song from her 2017 holiday album.
Host Reba performs “Peace on Earth”
McIntyre kicked off the ceremony with a moving cover of Vince Gill’s 1993 classic “Let There Be Peace on Earth.” Wearing a white fur coat and gloves, she wished the world a Merry Christmas and, with her velvety vocals, reminded the nation why she is a coach on “The Voice.”
The “Happy’s Place” star then returned to the stage and wowed the crowd with Chuck Berry’s Christmas rock ‘n’ roll gem “Run Rudolph Run.”
Michael Bublé and Carly Pearce combine their talents in a holiday duet
McIntyre’s “The Voice” colleague and rival Michael Bublé then performed “Holly Jolly Christmas.”
Buble then returned to the stage with backup from country singer Carly Pearce. The two performed a duet of “Maybe This Christmas” together, surprising everyone by complementing each other’s talents and the holiday energy around them.
Halle Bailey, Marc Anthony and Brad Paisley channel the holiday spirit
The holiday spirit was alive and well with performances of Hall Bailey’s “Last Christmas,” Marc Anthony’s “Christmas Auld Lang Syne,” and Brad Paisley’s country version of “The First Noel.”
Anthony’s first performance of the night was just an appetizer. The four-time Grammy Award-winning singer returns to wish his home state a happy holiday season with the classic bilingual song “Feliz Navidad.” He then concluded his set with the iconic song “Vivir mi vida”.
Laufey performs songs from Holiday Project
Icelandic singer Laufey brought his original song “Christmas Magic” to New York City wearing a festive red coat and matching beanie hat. The song appears on her five-song holiday EP, A Very Laufey Holiday, which she released last year.
She later opted for a cover of “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town” but added a Laufey touch by adding jazzy vocals.
In November, the recently Grammy-nominated singer spoke to USA TODAY at the Kate Spade New York holiday event and talked about holiday essentials, including her favorite movies and songs she’d like to revisit this season.
Radio City Rockets celebrates 100th anniversary
In addition to the holidays, the Radio City Rockets celebrated their 100th anniversary. Eighteen dancers wowed the crowd with tap and ballet choreography, moving in precise unison to winter jazz.
R&B group New Edition makes a Christmas comeback
New Edition appeared on the Rockefeller stage wearing red coats and hats and sang the Christmas anthem “Happy Holidays to You.” Known for classics such as “Can You Stand The Rain” and “Mr. Telephone,” this Boston group of singers includes Ronnie DeVoe, Bobby Brown, Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins, Ralph Tresvant and Johnny Gill.
The group then returned, sitting side by side wearing gold jackets and black pants, and performed “It’s Christmas (All Over the World).”
Harry Bailey’s vocals echo through the crowd’s “Favorite Things”
The Rockefeller crowd got ten times louder after Bailey’s breathtaking version of “Favorite Things.” The “Little Mermaid” star embodied “The Sound of Music,” carrying each lyric with her stunning vocals.
Kristin Chenoweth performs vocals on “Wicked”
Late into the night, Kristin Chenoweth made her way from Broadway to the Rockefeller, singing Karen Carpenter’s 1970 song “Merry Christmas Darlings” and performing her vocals for “Wicked.”
She then joined host McIntyre, a fellow Oklahoman, to perform “Silver Bells,” wearing a white coat with a fur collar and harmonizing gorgeously.
Watch the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree light up
After three hours of star-studded performances, the moment the city has been waiting for has arrived.
McIntyre joined organizers Melvin, Roker, Guthrie and the entire Rockefeller crowd as they counted down the lighting of the giant evergreen.
This year’s tree, which is native to the New York suburb of East Greenbush, is about 75 years old, 75 feet tall, 45 feet in diameter, and weighs about 11 tons.
Contributor: Taylor Ardley, USA TODAY
