The 80th annual Rocafeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting takes place tonight. The tree is scheduled to be lit up just before 9 p.m. with more than 30,000 lights and topped by a Swarokvski star. The event will include performances from Rod Stewart, Cee Lo Green, Scotty McCreery, Il Volo, Chris Mann, Victoria Justice, Brooke White, Mariah Carey, Trace Adkins and Tony Bennett, along with appearances by Billy Crystal and Bette Midler.
The 80-foot Norway spruce that survived Superstorm Sandy was taken from Joe Balku’s home in Mount Olive, NJ. The tree had been there for years, measuring about 22 feet tall in 1973 when Balku bought the house. It’s now 50 feet in diameter and weighs 10 tons.
