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12/2/2025

How to Watch Halle Bailey, Michael Bublé & More Perform at the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony 2025 Online for Free

The 93rd annual lighting ceremony is happening Wednesday (Dec. 3) and there are a few ways to stream the ceremony online for free.

By Amina Ayoud

Amina Ayoud

Trending on Billboard

For some, the holiday season officially begins once the iconic Rockefeller Center Christmas tree is lit.

Get ready to jingle your bells, the Rockefeller Center will be hosting its 93rd annual lighting ceremony on Wednesday (Dec. 3) at 8 p.m. ET. The 75-foot Norway Spruce will be lit up with over 50,000 multicolored lights and a 9-foot-diameter 2018 Swarovski star, lighting up the New York skyline. The spruce was cut early in Nov. and arrived at the iconic Center Plaza on Saturday, Nov. 8.

Whether you’ve snagged travel deals to see it in person or plan to watch the holiday tradition from the comfort of your couch, the 2025 Christmas tree-lighting ceremony is bound to get you in the holiday spirit with the help of a slew of guests and musical performances.

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This year’s festivities will be hosted by Country music icon Reba McEntire, joined by a slew of musical guests including Marc Anthony, Halle Bailey, Michael Bublé, Kristin Chenoweth, Laufey, New Edition, Brad Paisley, Carly Pearce Gwen Stefani and the Radio City Rockettes, who are currently celebrating their 100th anniversary.

If you want to join in on the festive fun (from the comfort of your own home, not the Big Apple), we’ve compiled everything you need to know to watch the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting ceremony online and on TV for free.

Check below for the streaming options available.

How to Watch the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony 2025 on NBC, Peacock & SlingTV

The Christmas in Rockefeller Center special will air on Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025 during. The two-hour holiday special will air live from New York at 8 p.m. ET on NBC and simulcast on Peacock. If you have cable, you can watch the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting ceremony on TV through your local NBC affiliate — just check your cable provider’s channel guide to find your local NBC channel.

Cable cutters can also use NBC’s official streaming platform, Peacock, which will be live streaming the ceremony. Already have Peacock? You can watch the ceremony for no additional cost by logging into your account and going to live TV.

Don’t have a subscription? A subscription to the streaming service, including NBC, currently will cost you $10.99 a month or $109.99 a year.

$10.99 a month

get peacock here

Besides the 2025 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony, a Peacock subscription will give you access to the entire Peacock library including exclusive and original TV series, movies, sports and more such as Bupkis, Mrs. Davis, Poker Face, Bel-Air, Poker Face, Yellowstone and Based on a True Story. You’ll also be able to watch NBC and Bravo programs like the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Saturday Night Live, Parks & Recreation, The Office, Vanderpump Rules and more.

get slingtv here

SlingTV’s Blue plan includes NBC and its affiliated channels for $50.99 a month and will give you access to DVR storage, the ability to stream on up to three devices at once and more. You can expand your channel offerings by combining the Blue and Orange plans for even more content for only $33 (reg. $65.95). Click here or the button below to sign up.

Additional Ways to Watch Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony 2025 for Free

Looking for more money-saving options? Live TV streamers are offering free trials and promos that can save you even more without having to pay hundreds of dollars on cable each month.

You can get NBC on DirecTV by utilizing the service’s five-day free trial via the Entertainment package. If you’re thoroughly impressed by the free tiral, the service’s Entertainment package is available now for $49.99 a month, a package which includes access to NBC. Along with you your subscription to this package, you’ll have access to 90+ local channels ESPEN Unlimited and Disney+ and Hulu bundle with ads and 130+ MyFree DIRECTV channels.

watch the tree lighting with directv

Hulu + Live TV comes with a 3 day free trial and gives you the most content options as you’ll not only have access to the NBC channel as well as many more live TV channels, but also the entire Hulu library. You can also bundle it with Disney+ and ESPN+ for even more programs to watch. Once your free trial is over, you’ll be charged the normal subscription fee of $89.99 a month. Click here or below to launch your free trial.

get hulu + live tv free trial here

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