Rockefeller Center Tree-Lighting Ceremony

Proceedings start at 7pm, but you’ll want to get there as early as you can to secure a spot. The actual lighting takes place at the end of the program; most of the two-hour event is devoted to celebrity performances. Then the 30,000 energy-efficient LEDs covering the massive evergreen are switched on to oohs and aahs. If you’d rather gouge out your eyeballs with the tree’s 9.5-foot-diameter Swarovski-crystal star than brave the crush, there’s plenty of time during the holiday season to view the tree at your leisure.