Two days after the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree lights up midtown Manhattan, another kind of holiday tree will light up a city in New York — but it is quite different from the NYC icon.
Rochester Genesee Keg Tree will be lit Friday night. While not as traditional as the Rockefeller tree, the Genesee Keg Tree pays homage to the brewery and the 600-plus employees who work there.
Built by brewery employees and retirees, the Keg Tree stands three stories high, consists of 532 kegs and has over 30,000 holiday lights.
"There's nothing more Rochester than thousands of people gathering to light up a keg tree and drink cold beer in December," said Jaime Polisoto, brand director for Genesee. "The Genesee Keg Tree Lighting includes a huge party with beer trucks, food trucks and a tree that flashes along to holiday music. It has become a highly anticipated tradition that signals the start of the holiday season."
| Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree | Genesee Keg Tree | |
| Location | Manhattan | Rochester |
| Number of lights | 50,000 | 30,000 |
| Height | 82 feet | 30 feet |
| Number of kegs | 0 | 532 |
| Number of beers served at tree lighting | Not known | 10,000+ |
Last held in 2019, 7,000 people attended the iconic Rochester holiday tradition and thousands more visited throughout the holiday season.
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The brewery, the oldest in New York state, releases a festive spin on its flagship Cream Ale beer—a Cinnamon Cream Ale or "Keg Tree Ale"—just for the annual event. Visitors can also climb inside a giant, custom-designed wooden sled built by the Genesee carpentry team for photo opportunities.
