The unofficial start of the Christmas season is marked by the star-studded tree lighting ceremony at Rockefeller Center in New York City, with the event being hosted by Kelly Clarkson. The ceremony will be broadcast live on NBC and streamed on Peacock, with performances by music stars and the tree being lit with thousands of lights. VIP tickets are available for those who want to view the tree up close, but temperatures are expected to be below normal. The tree will be adorned with more than 50,000 LED lights and topped with a Swarovski star. The ceremony will feature performances by the Backstreet Boys, Jennifer Hudson, Dan + Shay, Megan Hilty, Thalia, and more, as well as the Radio City Rockettes. The tree will be donated to Habitat for Humanity after the holidays. The tradition of the tree lighting ceremony dates back to the construction of Rockefeller Center in 1931, with the first televised lighting ceremony taking place in 1951. After the ceremony, the tree will be lit daily until mid-January, with an early cutoff on New Year’s Eve.
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