Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson to Co-Host National Christmas Tree Lighting

The National Park Service and the National Park Foundation have announced that actor and producer Tom Hanks and singer-songwriter, actress, and producer Rita Wilson will co-host the 92nd annual National Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony, coming up Thursday on the White House Ellipse at President’s Park. By tradition, President Barack Obama and his family also will help light the tree.

The ticket lottery for the event is closed but you can visit the national tree during the holiday season. The event will air on public television throughout the month of December. For broadcast times, check local listings or the National Christmas Tree Lighting website.

Wilson will also perform during the show. Additionally, multi Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter and actor NE-YO, multiplatinum-selling artist Steve Miller, and country star Chely Wright will join pop phenomenon Fifth Harmony, Grammy-winning legend Patti LaBelle, pop world duo Nico & Vinz, and award-winning vocal group The Tenors in performing a collection of holiday favorites.

The ceremony Thursday begins at 4:30 p.m. ET with the National Christmas Tree Lighting pre-show, co-hosted by 94.7 FRESH FM’s Tommy McFLY and ABC7/WJLA-TV’s Jummy Olabanji. The event will air on public television throughout the month of December. For broadcast times, check local listings or the National Christmas Tree Lighting website.

Presented by the National Park Service and the National Park Foundation, the official charity of America’s national parks, and produced by Bounce AEG, the National Christmas Tree Lighting kicks off a four-week holiday celebration at President’s Park. This year’s ceremony marks the 92nd annual National Christmas Tree Lighting, an American holiday tradition started by President Calvin Coolidge in 1923.

Thanks to Google’s Made with Code, the premier sponsor of the 2014 National Christmas Tree Lighting, girls across the country will experience the beauty of code by lighting up holiday trees at President’s Park. Beginning on Dec. 2, girls can head to madewithcode.com to code a design for one of the 56 state and territory trees. Girls can select the shape, size, and color of the lights, and animate different patterns using introductory programming language and their designs will appear live on the trees. Other event supporters are GE Lighting, Amtrak, Guest Services Inc., Hargrove, Hudler Carolina Tree Farms, Loews Madison, Nicolas Holiday, and Uber.

For more information about the event and its history, visit www.thenationaltree.org and follow the National Christmas Tree on Twitter at@TheNationalTree. Join the conversation online using the hashtag #NCTL2014.

The National Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony is the beginning of three weeks of celebration in holiday music in the nation’s capital. Musical groups from Washington D.C. and across the country provide holiday entertainment to the countless visitors for a one of a kind holiday experience set against the backdrop of the National Christmas Tree. Check this Web site for an upcoming schedule of events.