NEW YORK (PIX11) -- The Rockefeller Christmas tree lighting ceremony kicks off the holiday season, and this year, the holiday tradition is well underway. Even though some protest groups have indicated that they'll demonstrate before the Wednesday evening ceremony begins, the NYPD says that there's no known security threat, and it's encouraging people from far and wide to come to the event.
Among the many thousands of people coming from afar were Ursula Adams and Ron Tate, from Chesapeake, Virginia.
"I can't wait to see the tree light up," Adams said. She was on hand in Rockefeller Plaza at midday, when producers of the tree-lighting event held a mock countdown.
Denise Barnes and her family were there when it had happened, as well.
"Rats!" her husband, Russell, exclaimed when he realized that the mock countdown stopped short of illuminating the tree.
Still, the level of excitement remained high throughout the day, as the Barneses' daughter Dakota pointed out.
"People are going everywhere," she said. "There's always something to do."
Indeed, the holiday windows on Fifth Avenue, nearby, were in full splendor, and the crowds were thick in both number and enthusiasm.
Frank Reginio was among the many, many people who'd come to the Rockefeller Plaza area as a destination on Wednesday.
"I grew up in the city my whole life," he said. "This is New York City during the holidays."
Also part of the city during the holidays is a significant police presence, as John Chell, the NYPD chief of patrol, said in an interview at Rockefeller Center, as two drones operated by the department flew overhead during testing for the event.
"You'll see drones above us, you'll see aviation above us, you'll see canines, you'll see [the] counterterrorism division or intel division," Chell said. "All the assets of the NYPD will be here tonight."
The chief added that there will be NYPD members who won't be visible, as well.
Some protest groups calling for a long-term ceasefire in the Israel-Gaza war had indicated that they'd be on scene before the festivities to demonstrate.
The festivities started at 8 p.m., with the plaza closed off to the public until 4:30 p.m. After that, police let people into barricaded areas, or pens, as they're called by the NYPD.
The event, featuring performances by Cher, Kelly Clarkson, Barry Manilow, and other celebrities, is capped off by the tree lighting itself, a few minutes before 10 p.m.
Many people in the plaza expressed support for the security presence there.
A Manhattan resident who gave only her first name, Arlene, said that the police department's presence was integral.
"I'm very thankful for the NYPD," she said. "I hope they stay safe. Without them, we would not all be here."
She's a local resident, but it was the couple from Virginia who summed up how the event occurring here is one of a kind.
"I don't know anyone in the world who can do it like New York," Ron Tate said.
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