Rockefeller Center tree lighting ceremony

Where
Rockefeller Plaza, Fifth Ave between 49th and 50th Sts (rockefeller.com)

When
December 2, 7–9pm. It’s going to be mobbed, so get there early.

What happens
The actual lighting takes place at the end of the program; most of the two-hour event is devoted to celebrity performances (Beyoncé sang ‘Ave Maria’ last year). Then the 30,000 energy-efficient LEDs covering the 76-foot Norway spruce are switched on to mass oohs and ahs. If you’d rather gouge out your eyeballs with the tree’s nine-and-a-half-foot-diameter Swarovski-crystal star than brave the crowds, you can view the illuminated spectacle at your leisure between 5:30am and 11:30pm, 24 hours on Christmas Day and from 5:30pm to 9pm on New Year’s Eve.

Where to refuel
Get your hands on one of the city’s best burgers in the chichi-kitsch surroundings of Le Parker Meridien’s Burger Joint, nibble pastel-colored cupcakes at Magnolia Bakery’s Rock Center outpost, or tuck into top-notch fish and chips at the new midtown location of classic seafood spot Oceana.

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