Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Arrives in New York City
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What to Know
The 94-foot Norway spruce was cut down upstate on Thursday morning
It was loaded onto a flatbed truck and hauled 140 miles to NYC, where it arrived on Friday night
It will be hoisted in place and covered in 50,000 lights ahead of a tree lighting ceremony on Nov. 30
This year's Rockefeller Center Christmas tree arrived in New York City on Friday night.
The truck carrying this year's tree drove over the George Washington Bridge into Manhattan around 10 p.m.
The 94-foot Norway spruce, owned by Angie and Graig Eichler, was cut down Thursday morning in Oneonta. Two massive cranes moved the tree — the second largest to ever grace Rockefeller Center — onto a flatbed truck. It made the 140-mile trek from upstate to Manhattan in about a day and a half.
Eichler said Thursday his family was excited to donate the tree, adding it was a big deal for the Oneonta community. About 100 people turned out to watch the tree come down.
"We'll miss the shade but for the most part we're happy to gain the space back, because it did monopolize the entire yard," Eichler said.
The Rockefeller Center Christmas tree crossed the George Washington Bridge on Friday night as it finishes the final leg of its journey ahead of a lighting ceremony on Nov. 30.
On Friday night, people took photos and videos of the tree as it rolled down Manhattan streets and posted them on social media. Many said they were surprised to see the tightly wrapped spruce coming down the avenues with police escorts. At one point the tree passed anti-Trump protesters on Fifth Avenue, and they stopped to watch the tree go by, a Twitter user @jacktame tweeted.
"It's the Christmas tree, oh my God! It's the Rockefeller Christmas tree," Instagram user @billnakia said in a video as he watched the tree go down Amsterdam Avenue at West 126th Street. "There she goes. Now that's a good omen."
Crowds gathered at the Rockefeller Center Plaza on Saturday morning despite the 40-degree chill. Tourists excitedly snapped photos and posed in front of the second-biggest Rockefeller Center tree ever. Pockets of neon yellow could be seen through the leaves and branches as workers clipped stray leaves and began to string lights around the spruce's robust trunk.
At Rockefeller Center on Saturday, the Eichlers drove a spike into the trunk of the tree with a sledgehammer and it was lifted off the flatbed trailer by crane and hoisted into place. Then comes the painstaking job of installing its 50,000 lights.
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The tree's lights will be switched on during a live television broadcast on Nov. 30. The spruce will stay on display until Jan. 7.
Rockefeller Center's trees are usually milled into lumber for Habitat for Humanity after they're taken down.
This year’s tree is between 90 and 95 years old and weighs 14 tons. The 50,000 lights that will adorn it are on 5 miles of wire. The Swarovski Star that sits atop the tree has energy-efficient LED bulbs and 25,000 crystals with one million facets.
The first Rockefeller Center Christmas tree was put up in 1931 by workers building the complex during the Great Depression. The first official tree lighting there was in 1933.
Showtime
NBC 4 New York
This year's Rockefeller Center Christmas tree is beginning its journey from upstate New York to Manhattan.
NBC 4 New York
The 94-foot Norway spruce, owned by Angie and Graig Eichler, is being cut down Thursday morning in Oneonta.
NBC 4 New York
Two massive cranes will help move the tree, the second largest to ever grace Rockefeller Center, onto a flatbed truck.
NBC 4 New York
It will then be driven 140 miles to Manhattan, where it's due to arrive on Saturday.
NBC 4 New York
The tree's 50,000 lights will be switched on during a live television broadcast on Nov. 30.
NBC 4 New York
The spruce will stay on display until Jan. 7.
NBC 4 New York
Rockefeller Center's trees are usually milled into lumber for Habitat for Humanity after they're taken down.
NBC 4 New York
Crowds gather for a glimpse of the tree as it's being cut down.
NBC 4 New York
Crews prepare the tree for cutting.
NBC 4 New York
A close-up look of the tree after crews ready it for cutting.
NBC 4 New York
Crowds mill about as they wait for the tree to be cut down.
NBC 4 New York
The soon-to-be Rockefeller Center tree is laid on the bed of the truck.
NBC 4 New York
It takes a great deal of support to carry the giant spruce.
NBC 4 New York
It takes a small army to get this Norway spruce to NYC.
NBC 4 New York
Another great shot of the tree being buckled in for its road trip!
NBC 4 New York
Safe travels, tree!
@jojofrancois/Instagram
The tree travels through midtown on Friday night.
The tree was parked on 49th Street on Friday night.
Frank Heinz
The spruce will be lifted into place on Saturday. Then begins the lengthy task of placing 50,000 lights on it.
The flatbed with the tree rested on 49th Street for hours Saturday morning amid a frigid wind.
Frank Heinz
The 94-foot Norway spruce traveled 140 miles from Oneonta, New York.
Frank Heinz
When the tree is unfurled it will stand high above Rockefeller Plaza -- it's the second largest tree in Rockefeller Center history.
Erica Davies
Tourists and workers watch along Rockefeller Plaza as the tree is prepared to be loaded off the truck bed.
Erica Davies
Tourists excitedly watch as the Saturday morning Today anchors film a segment in front of the Rockefeller tree.
Erica Davies
Workers untangle strings wrapped around the tree as they prepare to put it into place.
Erica Davies
A gaggle of tourists snap photos of the tree as workers prepare to lift it into place.
The 94-foot spruce, which was cut down in Oneonta, New York on Thursday morning, is the second largest Rockefeller tree to date.
Erica Davies
Pockets of neon yellow could be seen near the tree's trunk as workers untangled strings in preparation to place the tree.
Erica Davies
Three men work on the trunk as spectators await the tree's placement.
Coralie Carlson
A crane lifts a 550-pound star to the top of the tree.
Bianca Rosembert
The star is placed on the Rockefeller tree on Nov. 16.
KATV
The tree has it's own paparazzi!
Bruce Beck
With the star up, the scaffolding comes down.
Coralie Carlson
The tree is heralded by glowing angels on Thanksgiving morning.
Getty Images
It may be 96 feet tall, but it is dwarfed by Rockefeller Center!
Coralie Carlson
The tree from above. Look at the ice rink below!
Coralie Carlson
The tree is up, the scaffolding is down, and we're ready to see what this tree looks like with all the twinkling lights!
