Ferris wheel turns globe

Pacific Park turned its Ferris wheel on the Santa Monica Pier into a 90-foot spinning globe for Earth Day on Wednesday, April 22. (smdp.com) The one-night display ran from sunset until midnight, with green and blue patterns wrapped around the wheel before and after the globe animation. Visit Santa Monica listed the event from 7:30 p.m. to 11:59 p.m. on April 22. (smdp.com) (santamonica.com) The image was built with 174,000 LED lights mounted across the Pacific Wheel’s 40 spokes and two hubs. Pacific Park says the system can produce 16.7 million color combinations and display motion graphics at up to 24 frames per second. (pacpark.com) Pacific Park bills the ride as the world’s only solar-powered Ferris wheel. The park says the LED system uses 81 percent less energy than traditional incandescent Ferris wheel bulbs. (pacpark.com) (patch.com) This was not a one-off Earth Day stunt. Pacific Park has run Earth Day light programs on the wheel in prior years, including 2024 and 2025, using the same green-and-blue palette and globe imagery. (pacpark.com 1) (pacpark.com 2) The wheel has become a regular public display board over the beach, cycling through holiday themes, sports tributes, and civic messages that can be seen along the Los Angeles coastline. Pacific Park’s live cam and event pages show the light shows are programmed as recurring pier attractions, not just ride lighting. (pacpark.com 1) (pacpark.com 2) Earth Day gave that nightly light show a sharper message on a pier that mixes rides, restaurants, and free public programming. The Santa Monica Pier’s main site describes the pier as a venue for year-round events, while Pacific Park used its most visible ride as the centerpiece on April 22. (santamonicapier.org) (pacpark.com) By midnight, the globe had gone dark, but the setup was familiar: a solar-powered wheel, a tourist landmark, and a holiday built for a giant image visible over the water. (smdp.com) (pacpark.com)