2026 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Selected: A Spruce From Upstate New York
A Norway spruce donated by a West Edmeston, NY resident will be cut down Nov. 5, hauled nearly 200 miles to Manhattan, and lit up Dec. 2.
Daniel Dimitrov / Wikimedia Commons
The Norway spruce that will anchor Rockefeller Plaza this holiday season is still standing in a backyard in West Edmeston, New York — but not for long. Rockefeller Center announced that the tree has been chosen as the 2026 Christmas tree. It will be cut down on November 5 and driven nearly 200 miles to Manhattan two days later.
The tree comes from Otsego County in upstate New York.
Once it arrives at Rockefeller Plaza, crews will spend weeks decorating it with tens of thousands of multicolored LED lights and topping it with the signature Swarovski star, according to Rockefeller Center. The official lighting ceremony is set for December 2, during the live 'Christmas in Rockefeller Center' broadcast.
The tree will remain on display through January 9 — but its story doesn't end there. After it comes down, the spruce is laid in Rockefeller Plaza, cut up, and transported to a yard in New Jersey, where it is milled into two-by-four and two-by-six beams stamped with the Rockefeller Center brand. Tishman Speyer, the firm that owns and operates Rockefeller Center, then donates the lumber to Habitat for Humanity, the nonprofit that builds and improves homes across the country, according to NBC New York.
Why it matters — The Rockefeller Center tree is one of the most-watched holiday traditions in the United States, drawing millions of visitors to midtown Manhattan and a national television audience each December.
⚠ Not yet confirmed
- 76-foot height
- 75-year-old age
- donor name Rebecca Decker
- 50 feet in diameter
- 11 tons weight
- USA Today attribution
Reported by nbcnewyork.com, usatoday.com, rockefellercenter.com
