Tickets To Ride Navy Pier's New Ferris Wheel Go On Sale Next Friday

By Gwendolyn Purdom in News on May 10, 2016 4:56PM

Navy Pier's new Ferris wheel officially gets spinning later this month. The just-named Centennial Wheel—set to open to the public Friday, May 27—will also feature a nightly light show and expanded ticket options, Pier officials announced Tuesday.

The city bid farewell to the smaller old wheel in September. The towering new 196-foot wheel is the slowly-rotating cherry on top of the major transformation Navy Pier is undergoing to celebrate its 100th year this summer. Other additions will be a revamped South Dock, a new plaza and fountain, and new restaurants and events. New Centennial Wheel ticket options announced this morning will include all-day ride passes, special discounts and free days. Tickets go on sale next Friday, May 20, and Fifth Third Bank is sponsoring the opening celebration.

Whether the multi-million dollar makeover will draw visitors besides the throngs of tourists that typically flood the pier remains to be seen. But with changes like the September opening of DMK Restaurants’ Burger Bar and Fish Bar, the possibility of being able to walk the pier with open alcohol and other plans, things are definitely looking up.

You can check out a timelapse of the old wheel's deconstruction and the new wheel's rise, below: