Veterans Honored at the Santa Monica Pier

Published on November 4, 2021

The Santa Monica Pier Ferris Wheel will be lit red, white, blue, and feature 5 insignias of the armed services on Thursday, November 11 in observance of Veterans Day.

Pacific Park will celebrate Veterans Day on November 11 to honor military veterans, active service members, and their families with a colorful salute on the Pacific Wheel in red, white, and blue with icons representing 5 branches of the US Armed Forces. Veterans Day is an annual holiday observed in the US to coincide with similar celebrations including Armistice Day and Remembrance Day which mark the anniversary of the end of World War I.

This special light program on the Pacific Wheel will include an animated 90-foot US flag that will wave brilliantly over the waters of the Pacific. The light program, which will run all evening from dusk until midnight, will also feature insignias of US Armed Forces including the US Army star; Marine Core eagle, globe and anchor; Navy shield; Air Force eagle; and Coast Guard anchor.

WHAT:
Special Lighting of the Pacific Wheel for Veterans Day 2021

WHEN:
Thursday, November 11
dusk (around 5 PM) to midnight

WHERE:
Pacific Park on the Santa Monica Pier

See the lights from home at www.pacpark.com/live.

Happening earlier in the day, The City of Santa Monica joins the Los Angeles Army Recruitment Battalion and the California Army National Guard for a live streamed and in-person Veterans Day Commemoration at 11AM in the North Beach Lot 1, next to the Santa Monica Pier. A limited number of seats will be available for in-person participation; live-streaming from home is recommended. The program will include posting of the colors, remarks from Mayor Sue Himmelrich and Councilmember Gleam Davis, and future soldiers swearing in ceremony, among more. Watch virtually on the City’s YouTube channel. Get more information here.

Pacific Park regularly programs the Ferris wheel to display seasonal programing and themed light designs for holidays and special occasions. The Pacific Wheel’s state-of-the-art lighting package was installed in 2016 and can display over 1.6 million different colors and animate patterns and icons in 24 frames per second. The energy efficient LEDs on the face of the Ferris wheel are powered by solar arrays inside Pacific Park. The light programs are curated and designed by Pacific Park staff. Each design is manually animated; some designs can take hours of programming. The aim is to provide fun, high-energy, and sometimes whimsical designs to entertain guests on the Santa Monica Pier and surrounding beaches.

 

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Feature image courtesy of @_cguetta