The Metropolitan Police Department said in a statement that the street closures will begin at 2 p.m. Thursday and end at around 9 p.m.
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The tree will remain in place until early January 2016.
The iconic Rockettes will perform at the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. The Norway Spruce tree is lit with about 45,000 multi-colored LED lights. A star made of Swarovski crystal is the crowning jewel.
The ceremony nationally televised by NBC on Wednesday evening included performances by Sting, Mary J. Blige, Andrea Bocelli and James Taylor.
This year’s kick-off to the holiday season in our nation’s capital marks the 93rd annual National Christmas Tree Lighting and will be heldtomorrow, December 3, 2015, on the Ellipse at President’s Park (White House).
During the course of history, the Rockefeller tree lighting has grown in scale over the years.
The tree lighting is free and open to the public and with large crowds expected, security will be extra tight. It wasn’t broadcast live until the 1950s. That came in 1999, when the tree was 100 feet tall.
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Gov. Jerry Brown canceled Wednesday afternoon’s tree-lighting ceremony at the State Capitol in Sacramento out of respect for the victims of a mass shooting earlier in the day in San Bernardino.
