Santa Monica goes green

Pacific Park turned its Ferris wheel into a spinning Earth on April 22, using the Santa Monica Pier skyline for an Earth Day display. (smdp.com) The one-night installation ran from about 7:31 p.m. at sunset until midnight, with green and blue lighting wrapped around a 90-foot globe effect. Visit Santa Monica listed the event for April 22 from 7:30 p.m. to 11:59 p.m. at Pacific Park, 380 Santa Monica Pier. (smdp.com) (santamonica.com) The display used 174,000 light-emitting diode lights mounted across the wheel’s structure, including 40 spokes and two hubs. Pacific Park says the Pacific Wheel is the first solar-powered Ferris wheel. (patch.com) (pacpark.com) Earth Day 2026 used the theme “Our Power, Our Planet,” and local event listings said the wheel’s imagery was designed to spotlight renewable energy and environmental stewardship on the coast. Santa Monica Next and Visit Santa Monica both framed the lighting as part of the city’s Earth Day programming. (santamonica.com) (santamonicanext.org) Pacific Park has been using the wheel as an Earth Day canvas for several years, with similar green-and-blue globe displays announced in 2023 and 2024. The 2026 version kept that annual format but tied it to this year’s global Earth Day message. (pacpark.com 1) (pacpark.com 2) (santamonica.com) The park has also linked the attraction to its broader environmental branding. Santa Monica Daily Press reported that Pacific Park was an early adopter of Santa Monica’s organic collection program, diverting kitchen and concession waste from landfills. (smdp.com) Pacific Park remains one of the pier’s main draws, with 12 rides and 14 midway games in an admission-free amusement park. For one night, its best-known ride doubled as a public Earth Day billboard visible over the beach. (smdp.com)