Rockefeller Center Tree Lighting: Viewing & Photo Tips

2026-10-24 · The Hanaduul team

Every fall, New Yorkers start watching for the giant Rockefeller Center Christmas tree to roll into Midtown Manhattan on a flatbed truck, followed a few weeks later by the lighting ceremony that unofficially kicks off the city's holiday season. If you're planning a trip to see it, here's what to know about timing, crowds, and how to turn the glowing plaza into a 4-cut photo with your favorite person.

At a glance

Here's the short version before you plan your trip:

• Location: Rockefeller Center, Midtown Manhattan, New York City
• What it is: the city's best-known annual Christmas tree tradition
• Viewing the lit tree: free and open to the public
• Right next to it: the ice rink at the base of the tree
• Crowds: heaviest on lighting night and weekend evenings

When the tree arrives

Weeks before the official lighting, a large tree is selected, cut, and transported by truck to Rockefeller Plaza, where crews spend days setting it upright and stringing it with lights ahead of the big night.

If you're in the city while the tree is being set up but before it's fully lit, it's actually a nice, quieter time to swing by. The plaza is still festive, but you'll avoid the biggest crowds that show up once the lights are turned on.

The lighting ceremony

The lighting ceremony is the moment the tree's lights are switched on for the season, drawing thousands of people into the streets around Rockefeller Plaza to watch. It's treated as the unofficial start of the holiday season in New York City.

Because the ceremony itself is so popular, expect street closures, security checks, and long waits if you want to be there for the actual switch-on. Dress warm, bring a portable phone charger, and plan to be on your feet for a while before you get anywhere near the tree.

Best times to go and how to skip the worst crowds

Once the tree is lit, it stays up and lit for weeks, so you don't have to fight the lighting-night crowds to see it. Many locals wait a few days and visit on a quieter schedule instead.

If your main goal is good photos rather than watching the live switch-on, timing your visit around off-peak hours makes a big difference.

• Go early morning, close to sunrise, for the emptiest plaza and softest light
• Weeknights tend to be calmer than Friday or Saturday evenings
• If the main plaza entrance has a long line, try approaching from a side street instead
• If timed or ticketed entry is being used that night, check before you go so you're not caught off guard

Rockefeller Plaza's other festive spots

The tree isn't the only reason to linger in the plaza. The ice rink sits right at the base of the tree, so you'll see skaters gliding by with the lit branches as a backdrop — a great people-watching stop even if you don't skate yourself.

Give yourself extra time to walk the plaza slowly rather than rushing straight to the tree and leaving. The surrounding area is part of what makes the whole scene feel so cinematic.

Turning the tree into a 4-cut photo

Once you've found your spot in front of the lit tree, it's the perfect backdrop for a 4-cut strip with a friend, a partner, or whoever you dragged along in the cold. Open Hanaduul, pick [Shoot solo] if you're setting the phone down with a timer, or hand the phone to someone and pose together in front of the tree.

If your best friend couldn't make the trip to New York with you this year, you don't have to skip the moment together. Open Hanaduul and tap [Shoot together] to get a 6-digit room code, send it to your friend, and have them [Join with room code] from wherever they are. You'll both show up in the same four-cut strip, side by side, even if one of you is standing in front of the real tree and the other is on their couch at home.

Hanaduul is an iPhone app for now, so make sure whoever you're shooting with has an iPhone handy. Since the plaza can be dim once the sun goes down, try to angle toward the brightest part of the lights for a clearer shot — bright light generally makes for a better-looking strip than a dark corner of the plaza.

• Pose tip: stand slightly off-center so the tree shows behind you, not directly blocked by your head
• If it's too crowded to shoot right at the tree, step back toward the rink railing for a calmer angle
• Can't make it to NYC at all? Recreate the scene later using [Make your own background] with a prompt like 'giant lit Christmas tree, string lights, snowy plaza at night, golden glow'
• Save the strip to your Hanaduul album under [Together] if you shot it with a friend remotely