Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Thanks To Rockefeller Tree Lighting, It's A Gridlock Alert Day
By
Jen Chung
Published Dec 4, 2013
Modified Dec 4, 2013
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Getty Images
By
Jen Chung
Published Dec 4, 2013
Modified Dec 4, 2013
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Is it your lifelong dream to fully immerse yourself in a throng of tourists like a fleshtone bubble bath? Then tonight's your night in midtown—it's the Rockefeller Center's annual celebration of a murdered tree as it lights up its huge Christmas Tree. And Jewel will be there!
The NYPD issued a traffic advisory for "street closures and security measures that will be in effect during the annual Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony": The ceremony begins at 7 p.m., so "[b]ecause heavy traffic is expected, drivers should avoid the vicinity of Rockefeller Center and Radio City Music Hall from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. Spectators are urged to use mass transit to attend the event." Also, "The following streets will be subject to closures from about 3 p.m. until the conclusion of the event: 48th, 49th, 50th, and 51st Streets between Avenue of the Americas and Fifth Avenue." In other words—if you need to get out of Midtown, leave at 2:30 p.m.!
The Times has some details on the history of Gridlock Alert days, "In 1982, the city traffic commissioner Samuel I. Schwartz, now known as Gridlock Sam, released a list of the days with the heaviest traffic. The city has recognized Gridlock Alert Days ever since."
The remaining Gridlock Alert Days are today, Friday, December 6; Thursday, December 12; Friday, December 13; Wednesday, December 18; Thursday, December 19; and Friday, December 20.
Tagged
christmas tree
gridlock
gridlock alert day
manhattan
rockefeller center
rockefeller center christmas tree
traffic
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
NYC Parks police told a yoga teacher to leash her dog. It got ugly.
Jurors ruled against Sabrina Toner, finding that the officers did not use excessive force.
By
Samantha Max
Published Oct 2, 2026 at 10:54 a.m. ET
Early Addition: There's finally stuff inside the Times Square tower where the ball drops
Because it used to sit vacant for most of the year, here are your early links: Rangers goalie scored, "It's a Wonderful Life" coming to Broadway, there's dignity in scaffolding and more.
By
James Ramsay
News
Early Addition: There's finally stuff inside the Times Square tower where the ball drops
Because it used to sit vacant for most of the year, here are your early links: Rangers goalie scored, "It's a Wonderful Life" coming to Broadway, there's dignity in scaffolding and more.
By
James Ramsay
NYC subway dragging death highlights an old school MTA failsafe
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
'We were the victim': Brooklyn shelter's new CEO speaks after corruption scandal
By
Ryan Kost
Badly burned body found in a trashed and abandoned Jamaica Queens lot, NYPD says
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .