Iconic Santa Monica Pier Ferris wheel to light up for Team USA

The iconic Ferris wheel on the Santa Monica Pier will light up nightly during the Paris Olympics to cheer on Team USA beginning Friday.

The nightly light display will feature the five colored rings to symbolize the Olympic rings, a 90-foot-tall waving American flag to celebrate Team USA, a French flag for the current host country and the American flag to represent the games returning to the United States, specifically Los Angeles in 2028.  

The Ferris wheel will be lit up from sunset until 12:30 a.m.

The Pacific Wheel is the world’s only solar-powered Ferris wheel, featuring 174,000 LED lights mounted on its 40 spokes and two hubs. The wheel’s lighting system features 16.7 million color value combinations to display dynamic, custom, computer-generated lighting entertainment, according to a news release.

Visitors can visit the theme park from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. to catch a ride on the nine-story carnival ride, which takes riders to heights of more than 130 feet over the Pacific Ocean.

If you can’t make it out to the Santa Monica Pier yourself, Pacific Park offers an online stream of the Ferris wheel.