The 98th National Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony returns Dec. 3 — albeit, virtually.
The National Park Service announced that the ceremony will be streamed on the National Tree’s website, which will be the only way to view the ceremony, since NPS and the National Park Foundation said there won’t be an in-person ceremony due to COVID-19 concerns.
However, the show can be streamed on-demand throughout the holiday season, per NPS.
The park service said that the National Christmas Tree will be lit every evening in President’s Park throughout December.
Outside of the main draw, 56 smaller trees representing every state, territory and D.C. itself will be decorated with ornaments designed by students from all over the U.S.
It will also be the second year for a relatively new tree, according to the park service, which planted a 30-foot Colorado blue spruce from Palmyra, Pennsylvania, in 2019.
