The World’s Largest Menorah Will Be Lit in NYC This Year — What to Know

The world’s largest Hanukkah menorah will be lit in Central Park in New York City to welcome the first night of the festival of lights.

The menorah, which stands at a whopping 32 feet tall, will be lit at 5:30 p.m. on Dec. 7 in Central Park’s Grand Army Plaza, according to the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation. The towering candelabrum was first designated as the largest in the world by the Guinness World Records in 2006 thanks to its impressive height, 28-foot width, and 4,000-pound weight. 

“The menorah was designed according to a hand drawing by [Maimonides] based on the original Menorah in the Holy Temple of Jerusalem and is the largest size permitted by Halacha-Jewish law,” according to the Guinness World Records.

The menorah is lit each night for eight days to celebrate the festival of Hanukkah, a Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem in the 2nd century B.C.E. It represents the story of how a one-day supply of oil at the time lasted for eight days, according to the Chabad-Lubavitch Media Center.

The Central Park menorah will be lit at 5:30 p.m. on Dec. 7, Dec. 8, Dec. 9. Dec. 10, Dec. 11, and Dec. 14. It will also be lit at 3:30 p.m. on Dec. 12, and at 8:30 p.m. on Dec. 13.

In addition to Central Park’s celebration, a similarly large menorah will be lit in Brooklyn’s Grand Army Plaza. Dubbed the largest menorah in Brooklyn, that ceremony will be commemorated with live music, gifts for children, and hot latkes.

The Brooklyn menorah also stands at 32 feet high, according to the New York City Tourism + Conventions. A free kickoff concert in Brooklyn will begin at 5 p.m. on Dec. 7, the Parks Department noted.