Tag Archives: christmas

Rockefeller Center Tree Lighting

With all of the shows, musical performances, and holiday events happening all over town in December, it is tough to choose what to go see and it is simply impossible to see everything. However, there are a few holiday traditions in New York that are easy to schedule and don’t even require a ticket to visit.

One such tradition is the lighting of the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree. The tree lighting has been a nationally televised event for years and has drawn people from all over the world. According to the Rockefeller Center, this tradition was started in December 1931 when a team of demolition workers at the Rockefeller Center construction site pooled their money together to buy a Christmas tree. It was a mere 20 feet high, nothing compared to the 67-100 feet high trees used today, but during the depression, this tree embodied the hope and determination of an impoverished people. Two years later, after the opening of the Rockefeller Plaza in 1933, the lighting of the tree became an official holiday ceremony.

In following years, multiple trees were erected within a holiday season to commemorate specific events. For example, in 1936, to commemorate the opening of the Rockefeller Center skating rink, two trees were erected and lit for the ceremony. In 1942, to commemorate the war effort, three trees were erected trimmed in red, white, and blue. And in 1945, six ultraviolet light projectors were used to make the tree that year considerably brighter to make up for the years during the war when the tree couldn’t be lit.

In 1951, the tree lighting became nationally televised on NBC as part of The Kate Smith Show. Following years saw other hosts like Howdy Doody from 1953-1955, Barbara Walters, Bob Hope, Lily Tomlin, and Liza Minnelli.

The tree selected each year comes from different places all over the United States. It has been adorned with everything from tin cans and scrap paper, to aluminum and lights of every size and shape. And every year, there is a new star to bring the ceremony to light. Although the ceremony begins on December 3rd, you can still see the tree lit every evening until January 6th.

So make a trip to the Rockefeller Center, see the tree lighting that has become a national event year after year, and make sure to book your parking early with ParkJockey! We have locations near Rockefeller Center in Midtown, as well as the Upper East Side, NoHo, and all throughout New York City. Wherever you need to go, ParkJockey has you covered!

Sign up now and use the promo code “TREES”, and new users will receive a discount on your next booking. But act quickly, just as the holiday tree will have to come down, so will this promotion!

The Nutcracker Ballet

As New York City gears up the holiday festivities, one of the oldest and most treasured holiday traditions is the yearly performance of the The Nutcracker Ballet. Be it young children in their first dance to the music of Tchaikovsky, or professional ballet companies practicing tirelessly to bring new energy to such a familiar classic, no holiday season is complete without seeing a performance of the ballet.

Most are familiar with the story of the ballet: a girl receives a nutcracker for Christmas and gets drawn into a magical world of love and brave nutcrackers fighting the Mouse King. The story of the Nutcracker was originally based on E.T.A. Hoffmann’s tale, The Nutcracker and the Mouse King. Alexandre Dumas Père wrote an adaptation titled The Tale of the Nutcracker, and Marius Petipa simplified the adaption and choreographed it for the ballet with music set by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. According to the Moscow Ballet, the director of Moscow’s Imperial Theatres, Ivan Vsevolozhsky, commissioned the ballet in 1891. In 1892, a week before Christmas, the ballet was premiered.

According to the National Post, although Czar Alexander III thoroughly enjoying the ballet, the critics and audience found the choreography confusing. Despite the negative reviews, everyone loved the music, so the ballet toured the world using different choreographies. It first reached the United States in 1944, landing in San Fransisco.

It wasn’t until George Balanchine choreographed the ballet for the New York City Ballet in 1954 that the Christmas Ballet as we know it began to unfold. From that point on, everyone followed Balanchine’s choreography and the ballet became a mainstay of Christmas and of New York City.

Whether you are seeing your child’s first performance of the ballet at their school, or taking a trip to the Lincoln Center to see the New York City Ballet bring Balanchine’s and Tchaikovsky’s brilliance to life, remove the stress of parking and book with ParkJockey. We have locations throughout the Upper West Side, Midtown, and all throughout New York City. Wherever your travels take you, ParkJockey’s got you covered!

Sign up now and use the promo code “BALLETS”, and new users will receive a $5 credit towards your next booking. But act quickly, just as Christmas will end, so will this promotion!

The Radio City Christmas Spectacular

With Thanksgiving and its festivities coming to a close this week, everyone is moving their attention to the coming holiday season. Throughout New York City, stores are putting up holiday window displays, soon Rockefeller Center will have its annual Christmas Tree lighting ceremony, and Bryant Park is opening its ice rink.

But nothing really brings in the holiday spirit quite like the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, starring the Rockettes.

The Radio City Christmas Spectacular takes place in the beautiful Radio City Music Hall at 6th Avenue and 50th Street. The building was constructed in 1929 with funding support from John D. Rockefeller, Jr. and the Radio Corporation of America. After construction was completed, S.L. “Roxy” Rothafel was brought on as impresario of the Music Hall. Roxy developed a reputation as a theatrical genius by combining vaudeville, movies, and razzle-dazzle décor to revive struggling theaters in the wake of the stock market crash.

The legend of the Rockettes began in 1925 with a group called the “Missouri Rockets”. They had been tapping and making high kicks since 1925 under the direction of Russell Markert. The Missouri Rockets were invited by Roxy Rothafel to perform at Radio City’s opening night on December 27th, 1932, using the name the “Roxyettes.” They were one of 17 diverse acts including the Flying Wallendas, Ray Bolger, and Martha Graham. Despite the competition, they were invited back the following year to headline and were renamed the “Rockettes.” In the 80 years since then, the Radio City Christmas Spectacular has become the #1 holiday production in America. It has toured 74 different cities outside of New York, such as Nashville, Chicago, Dallas, and St. Louis. However, its home will always be the Radio City Music Hall.

So come into the city and see the show that truly celebrates the holiday season in style. Performances run throughout the month of December. And when you plan your trip to see this spectacular show, make sure to book with ParkJockey so you don’t find yourself missing everything because you can’t find parking. We have locations all over New York City, from Midtown, to the Upper East Side, to SoHo, and the financial district. Wherever your travels take you, ParkJockey’s got you covered.

Book now using the promo code “ROCKETTES” and get a discount off your next booking.

After Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade: Black Friday

Since we visited the history of the Thanksgiving Day Parade last week, it is only fitting that we give the history of the second scariest day of the year (just below Halloween): Black Friday. The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and Black Friday are intrinsically linked. According to blackfriday.com, ever since the first Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1924, “the Friday after Thanksgiving has been known as the unofficial start to a bustling holiday shopping season.”

There is some disagreement as to the origin of the term, “Black Friday.” The term was most likely first coined in the 1960s by police officers in Philadelphia to describe the mess associated with congested streets filled with heavy pedestrian and vehicle traffic. According to Ben Zimmer’s article “The Origins of ‘Black Friday,’” Philadelphia merchants initially detested the label because of its association with the stock market crisis of 1869. Merchants were worried that customers would have been scared off by the ominous title, preferring to call it “Big Friday.” However, the name “Black Friday” also had another meaning, and that is referring to stores moving from the “red” to the “black.” When accounting records were kept by hand, red indicated a loss, and black indicated a profit. So, despite objections, because of the alternate association, and continued use of the term by the press, the name remained.

In recent years, it has developed more of a negative connotation, with people aggressively waiting hours in lines to be the first to get the specials. But that does not change the fact that everyone agrees Black Friday is the best time to get your Christmas shopping done. You get the best deals you will be able to find all year, and you have all day to visit the stores and find the deals right for you. So brave the crowds and make sure you get out and grab some special deals!

But don’t get stuck in the traffic with no place to park! Book with ParkJockey now and reserve a spot close to your favorite shopping locations, be it in SoHo, Midtown, along 5th Avenue, or anywhere in the New York City area. And, of course, be safe this “Black Friday” and happy shopping!

Book now using the promo code “FRIDAYDEAL” and, in the spirit of Black Friday, get a great discount on your next booking!