The holiday season in New York City is something that people—many (or most) of whom don’t live here—seem to really love. It does make sense: the city’s usual glow is taken to the next level, thanks to holiday lights strung all over the place. Even our buildings dress up for the occasion, including the Empire State Building.
But simply flipping a switch to turn on the Empire State Building’s holiday lights—the way you would for the ones hanging on your parents’ garage—isn’t befitting of a structure this iconic. If the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree, which only sticks around for a few weeks each year, gets its own ceremony featuring the cast of The Today Show singing secular carols, surely, the Art Deco masterpiece—which has been a fixture of the New York City skyline since 1931—should get some type of fanfare, too.
Well, as it turns out, it does, and that ceremony is tonight. Here’s how to watch it from anywhere in the world.
How to watch the Empire State Building’s holiday light show
Tonight (that’s Saturday, December 19th) is the Empire State Building’s Annual Music-to-Light Show (yes, that’s the official name), and it begins at 8 p.m. EST. In addition to the ceremonial Flipping of the Switch to turn on the lights (yes, there is an actual giant switch) this year’s show will include a duet by Carrie Underwood and John Legend. They’ll be singing the song “Hallelujah” (no, not that one), which Legend wrote (along with Toby Gad) and appears on Underwood’s first Christmas album.
No matter where you live, you can watch the show live tonight via the Empire State Building’s Earthcam. And then after that, the video will be available on the Empire State Building’s YouTube Channel. But if you miss the show tonight and really want to see it live, it will be repeated each evening through Christmas Day, December 25th.
Other light displays
As some background, the Empire State Building is frequently lit up in different colors and displays to honor certain holidays, organizations, causes and events. This section of the building’s website lets you know what the lights and colors mean year-round. These light displays have been happening since 1976, and made the switch to LED lights in 2012.