4th of July Ferris Wheel Lighting at the Santa Monica Pier

The Santa Monica Pier Ferris Wheel will be lit red, white, and blue from Friday, July 1 to Monday, July 4 in recognition of Independence Day.

Independence Day in the United States is celebrated annually on July the 4th and commemorates the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. The Continental Congress declared that the thirteen American colonies were no longer subject to the monarchy of Britain and were united, free, and independent states.

Independence Day, sometimes referred to simply as “The 4th of July”, is commonly celebrated in the United States with fireworks, parades, backyard barbecues, picnics at the beach, and more organized civic ceremonies. While fireworks are not allowed anywhere near the Santa Monica Pier, there will be various locations throughout LA to see the sky light up. Places close to Santa Monica would be the Marina Del Rey Burton Chase Park, Pacific Palisades High School, and West Los Angeles College in Culver City. But if you are looking to celebrate in the unique “Santa Monica Pier” way, check out Japadog for their interesting hotdog combinations. There are plenty of interesting combinations from JAPADOG Santa Monica, where East meets West with Instagram-worthy presentations. Memorable combinations use ingredients like Terimayo sauce, plum sauce, kimchi, tonkatsu sauce, and flavored rice. It’s possible to choose from bratwurst, all-beef hotdogs, kurobuta pork, turkey sausage, veggie dogs, and cheddar smokey. Get daring and try something new!

At the Pier, Pacific Park observes the annual holiday with a brilliant red, white, and blue light program on the Pacific Wheel that includes fun, energetic designs and a 90ft tall, animated American flag.

This special lighting event will take place from the evening of Friday, July 1 to Monday, July 4. The Ferris wheel lights can be seen from dusk until 11:35 PM each evening. Enjoy watching the light program online at www.pacpark.com/live.

WHAT:
Special Lighting of the Pacific Wheel for Independence Day

WHEN:
Friday, July 1 to Monday, July 4
dusk (around 8 PM) to midnight

WHERE:
Pacific Park on the Santa Monica Pier

In anticipation that the 4th of July weekend will be incredibly busy on the Santa Monica Pier, parking can be tricky as many folks head to the beach after work and streets around the Pier can become congested. We strongly recommend taking the Metro: the Expo line drops you off at 4th and Ocean – a quick 10-minute walk from the Pier deck. If you must drive, plan to arrive early (before 4 PM) to take advantage of available parking. You can enjoy your time before the concert by grabbing an early dinner or enjoying the rides at Pacific Park. For driving directions to the Pier, check out pacpark.com/directions.

If you park north or south of the Pier and walk the bike, or scoot to the Pier, head to the “back” of the Pier located at 1600 Ocean Front Walk (across from Big Dean’s Ocean Front Cafe). You can access the Pier by the stairs and ramps behind the Carousel Building. If you park at 3rd Street Promenade, the Civic Center garage, take Metro, or are walking, biking, or scooting from Downtown Santa Monica, take the Pier Bridge ramp down to the boardwalk from Ocean and Colorado. The security checkpoint is at the bottom of the ramp, so please plan accordingly.

Pacific Park regularly programs the Ferris wheel to display seasonal programming 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. See the lights from home at www.pacpark.com/live.

Featured image courtesy of @kissvana on Instagram