SkyStar Wheel is a diameter traveling

observation wheel A Ferris wheel (also called a Giant Wheel or an observation wheel) is an amusement ride consisting of a rotating upright wheel with multiple passenger-carrying components (commonly referred to as passenger cars, cabins, tubs, gondolas, capsules ...

located in San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf since November 13, 2023. It has previously operated in San Francisco's Music Concourse (2020–2023), Cincinnati's The Banks (2018–2020), Louisville's Waterfront Park (2018), and Norfolk (2018).

Design

SkyStar Wheel is a diameter traveling observation wheel. It is in circumference and includes over one million colored LED lights. The wheel has a total of 36 climate-controlled gondolas. There are 35 handicap accessible general admission gondolas which holds up to six guests. As well as one non-handicap accessible VIP gondola with leather seats and hardwood floors which holds up to five guests. An average ride lasts for twelve minutes. It was designed by SkyView Partners and Mondial World of Rides.

Operations

The observation wheel is owned and operated by SkyView Partners, a company based in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

History

The ride first opened on March 29, 2018 in Louisville, Kentucky's Waterfront Park for the

2018 Kentucky Derby The 2018 Kentucky Derby (officially, the 2018 Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve) was the 144th running of the Kentucky Derby, and took place on Saturday, May 5, 2018, in Louisville, Kentucky. The field was open to 20 horses, with a ...

, Thunder Over Louisville, and Waterfront Wednesday season opener. It remained open until May 6, 2018. The base rent paid by the operator to the park was US$25,000 or 5% of gross profits, whichever was greater. It moved to the Waterside District in downtown Norfolk, Virginia and opened on May 19, 2018 where it operated until August 19, 2018. The wheel was scheduled to open at the Banks alongside the

Ohio River The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illino ...

in Cincinnati, Ohio on August 31, 2018, but was delayed until September 1, 2018 due to weather. It opened to help celebrate the Banks' ten-year anniversary and was located across from the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. The wheel remained open at this location until March 1, 2020. On July 2, 2019, it was announced that the owners planned to return to the area and install a permanent observation wheel set to open by March 5, 2021. However, the company indicated in December 2020 they had put the plans on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The wheel arrived at the Music Concourse within San Francisco's

Golden Gate Park Golden Gate Park, located in San Francisco, California, United States, is a large urban park consisting of of public grounds. It is administered by the San Francisco Recreation & Parks Department, which began in 1871 to oversee the development ...

on March 15, 2020 and completed assembly on March 21 as an attraction to celebrate the park's 150th anniversary. While that celebration was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the observation wheel opened on October 21, 2020 under a one-year contract. The contract was later extended an additional year to help the operator recoup their lost costs from the pandemic. It closed on October 22, 2023 to relocate to nearby Fisherman's Wharf in time for the 2023 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. Since November 13, 2023, it has been operating in San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf.

Locations

Gallery

File:Ferris wheel in Golden Gate Park, March 2020.JPG File:Golden Gate Park ferris wheel.jpg File:SkyStar Wheel - Fisherman's Wharf - January 2024 (8774).jpg

References

External links

* {{Ferris wheel Amusement rides introduced in 2018 Buildings and structures in San Francisco Ferris wheels in the United States Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco Tourist attractions in San Francisco Amusement rides in California