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‘Christmas In Rockefeller Center’ Performers Announced, Tree Lighting Ceremony Set For November [Video]

By Charisse Van Horn
Published on: 12:55 PST, Nov 5, 2016

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H066QLwTtjY&t=226s

The performers for the Christmas in Rockefeller Center television special and the date for the tree lighting ceremony have been announced. NBC issued a press release that listed the scheduled performers for the 84th annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony. Scheduled to perform are Tony Bennett, Neil Diamond, Josh Groban, Tori Kelly, Sara McLachlan, Dolly Parton, Jordan Smith, Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood, and the Radio City Rockettes. There might be a reason for the addition of three of country music’s biggest stars, who are scheduled to perform. The Christmas in Rockefeller Center television event is set for November 30 beginning at 8 p.m. ET. Following the broadcast will be the sequel to Dolly Parton’s hit Christmas movie Coat of Many Colors, Dolly Parton’s Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love. NBC Today show hosts Matt Lauer, Savannah Guthrie, Al Roker, and Hoda Kotb will provide live, streaming coverage of the event. According to an announcement by Rockefeller Center, the Christmas tree will be lit on Nov. 30 and remain lit until Jan. 7, 2017.

Social media networks have been abuzz with news of the scheduled performers, as well as the Mazda Drive 4 Good contest. Entry into the contest is over, but the winner will be announced on Nov. 30, during the broadcast. You can learn more about Mazda Drive 4 Good at the official press announcement site. Each performer listed has an official Twitter account and you can expect to see behind-the-scenes footage, photos and tweets from the performers. The following is a list of official Twitter accounts where you may follow each artist scheduled to perform in the 2016 Christmas in Rockefeller Center television special.

Here are some examples of the tweets being shared that reveal excitement regarding the upcoming performances, the television special, Christmas in Rockefeller Center, as well as the tree-lighting ceremony. You may see video footage of the last Christmas tree-lighting ceremony, as well as previous years in the video player above.

In addition to the performers’ Twitter accounts, the Christmas in Rockefeller Center and Today hosts are also on Twitter.

Located in Manhattan, the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center is one of the nation’s most popular and beloved trees. The Tree NYC website provides updated information and latest news regarding the selection and retrieval of this year’s Christmas tree. According to the Tree NYC, the annual lighting takes place at 8:55 p.m. ET. Though NBC will air live coverage from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m., certain regions will receive earlier live coverage beginning at 7 p.m. ET. Check local listings for more information regarding the television special.

Christmas in Rockefeller Center boasts a lengthy history dating back to the Rockefeller family and their rise in the oil industry due to their patriarch John D. Rockefeller, Sr. The first Christmas tree was established in 1933, in the newly constructed Rockefeller Center, according to Rockarch.org, an archive regarding the Rockefeller family. There was an article about the Rockefeller tree titled “The Most Beautiful Tree in the World” in the Dec. 1954 issue of Family Circle. You may read the article online in PDF format. Also included in the document is the script from the 1961 live broadcast of the Christmas tree lighting as it aired on NBC.

There is no question that Christmas in Rockefeller Center is an American tradition, and for many, the lighting of the tree, along with the National tree lighting, signify the unofficial start of the Christmas season.

According to NBC, the 2016 Rockefeller Christmas tree will stand 94-feet high, and spans 56-feet wide. The tree is approximately 90-years-old and is a Norway Spruce from Oneonta, New York. The tree weighs approximately 14 tons. More than 50,000 colored LED lights will adorn the tree.

You can find more information about Christmas in Rockefeller Center at NBC, and also tune into the show and find out who will win the Mazda Drive 4 Good contest.

Are you going to watch Christmas in Rockefeller Center and the tree lighting?

[Featured Image by NBCUniversal]

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