NEW YORK — The arrival of the iconic Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree in New York City on Saturday marks the beginning of the festive holiday season in the metropolis.

This year’s massive tree is a 74-foot Norway Spruce that was transported to Manhattan’s Center Plaza, where it will be hoisted into position using a crane. The tree will be adorned with an impressive five miles of light strands featuring over 50,000 colorful LED bulbs. With a width of 43 feet, this magnificent tree will be capped with a dazzling Swarovski star adorned with 3 million gleaming crystals.

Donated by the Albert family from West Stockbridge, Massachusetts, this towering specimen was felled on Thursday morning and prepared for its 140-mile journey on a flatbed truck. Remarkably, this is the first time a tree from Massachusetts has been selected for display at Rockefeller Center since 1959.

The much-anticipated lighting ceremony for the tree is set for December 4, drawing viewers from around the city and beyond. After the holiday season concludes, the tree will be taken down in January and transformed into lumber for Habitat for Humanity, contributing a lasting legacy beyond the festivities.