Cortis Ferris wheel lighting at the Santa Monica Pier

Published on August 21, 2025

The Santa Monica Pier Ferris Wheel will be lit sand and ink on Saturday, August 23 in recognition of CORTIS.

Signed to BigHit Music, the K-pop powerhouse label behind BTS, CORTIS is set to make their US debut this August.

HYBE CORP, K-pops biggest music promoter, is partnering with Pacific Park to help launch the digital single “What You Want” with an activation at the Santa Monica Pier and lighting of the Pacific Wheel.

CORTIS is the first K-pop boy group launched by BigHit Music in six years, following TXT’s debut in 2019. The group consists of five multi-talented members: Martin (leader), James, Juhoon, Seonghyeon, and Keonho, who bring diverse skills in singing, rap, dancing, choreography, production, and creative content development.

The name CORTIS is an unconventional mix of six letters drawn from the phrase “COLOR OUTSIDE THE LINES,” reflecting their determination to think beyond the boundaries defined by the world.

CORTIS is managed by HYBE, which is most notable for representing the global sensation BTS. HYBE innovates the music industry business model under the mission, “We believe in music.”

CORTIS is stepping out with the lead single “What You Want” as a debut group.
This song is from their highly anticipated 1st EP COLOR OUTSIDE THE LINES. This group’s originality sets out to reinvent K-pop. What sets them apart is their collaborative approach: rather than adhering to fixed roles, they work together as co-creators to bring their collective vision to life. The group says their song “blends nostalgic guitar riffs of 1960s psychedelic rock with the gritty boom bap rhythms of hip-hop, creating a fresh, genre-bending sound.”

CORTIS will have a pop-up activation here at the Pier to promote the release of their lead single, followed by a special wheel lighting. Cool off in the summer heat with a special ice pop by pre-saving their 1st EP COLOR OUTSIDE THE LINES on Spotify. Make sure to snap a pic for social media to receive a limited edition CORTIS sticker.

“What You Want” is available worldwide on all streaming platforms now, and their 1st EP COLOR OUTSIDE THE LINES arrives on September 8 at 6 PM KST.

This special lighting event will take place on the evening of Saturday, August 23. 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 CORTIS + Pier Activation

WHEN:
Saturday, August 23

11:00 AM to 5:00 PM- Activation
dusk (around 7:30 PM) to midnight- Wheel Lighting

WHERE:
Pacific Park on the Santa Monica Pier

 

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

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 HYBE