It’s about to look a lot like Christmas at Rockefeller Center. This year’s Rockefeller Center Christmas tree was cut down on Thursday and is on its way to New York City Friday night. This year, for the first time ever and with the help of the Rockefeller Center gardener aboard the truck, we’re tracking the tree’s whereabouts in real time on its journey from West Edmeston, New York, to midtown Manhattan. As of 8:55 p.m., the tree had just crossed the Mario M. Cuomo Bridge (formerly the Tappan Zee Bridge) over the Hudson River on I-287 heading to Tarrytown. The 76-foot Norway spruce is expected to arrive in NYC later Friday evening. Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree 2 hours ago Fun facts about the 2026 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Holidays Nov 5 Watch as 2026 Rockefeller Center tree is cut down ahead of NYC arrival Holidays Nov 4 2026 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree to get cut down Thursday ahead of NYC arrival The conifer is approximately 75 years old and measures 50 feet in diameter. A crane hoisted the tree onto a flatbed truck before it began the 200-mile trip to its perch at Rockefeller Center, where it will overlook the center’s iconic skating rink. Then the tree will be wrapped with more than 50,000 multicolored LED lights and crowned with a 900-pound Swarovski star. It will be lit during a televised ceremony on Dec. 2. The tradition dates back to 1931, when crews building Rockefeller Center put up a small Christmas tree with handmade garlands. The first formal lighting ceremony took place in 1933. The Rockefeller Christmas tree will be on display until Jan. 9, after which it will be milled into lumber for the housing nonprofit Habitat for Humanity. ...read more read less