AAPI Heritage Month Ferris wheel lighting at the Santa Monica Pier

Published on May 2, 2025

The Santa Monica Pier Ferris Wheel will be lit red and yellow on Thursday, May 1 in recognition of AAPI Heritage Month.

Since the early 1990s, the United States has observed Asian and Pacific American Heritage Month each May.

Pacific Park will join other landmarks across the country with a special red light program on the world-famous Pacific Wheel on May 1.

This special lighting event will take place on the evening of Thursday, May 1. 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 AAPI Heritage Month

WHEN:
Thursday, May 1
dusk (around 7:30 PM) to midnight

WHERE:
Pacific Park on the Santa Monica Pier

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

 

As we recognize the contributions of Asian American and Pacific Islanders, or AAPI, to the history, culture and achievements of the United States, we don’t need to look far for evidence of the community’s legacy of leadership and resilience.

Chinese immigrants built the rail connection that made Santa Monica’s establishment possible in 1875. Japanese immigrants led by Hatsuji Sano established a fishing village in Santa Monica Bay and with Chinese immigrants helped build the Long Wharf that served as an economic catalyst to the fledgling town.

When the fishing village was ravaged by fire in 1916 and razed a few years later, many of its residents resettled in the city’s Ocean Park and Pico neighborhoods, planting new seeds for future generations.

Some incarcerated Japanese Americans went on to serve honorably in World War II, including George Haruyoshi Ishihara — decorated for his bravery and service — for whom Ishihara Park is dedicated. He and 33,000 other Japanese Americans served in the U.S. military during WWII, fighting for a county that viewed them and others who look like them as the enemy, demonstrating leadership and patriotism in the face of discrimination that should never be forgotten.

Santa Monica’s AAPI community continues to give back to the greater community after the recent wildfires with a special group show titled ‘FLUENCE’ that benefited wildfire victims. Three martial arts academies joined together to host an event at MuDo Dojo to provide relief supplies and support for affected families, and newly opened Santa Monica Place restaurant Din Tai Fung pledged all profits from its soft and grand openings to support local businesses impacted by the wildfires.

The Pacific Wheel

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 @pacpark