Pacific Park's iconic Ferris wheel will ring in 2026 with "Happy New Year" messages displayed in 16 languages across its 174,000 LED lights.
The animated greetings, including Spanish, Chinese, Hindi, German, French and Japanese, will illuminate the 90-foot-tall Pacific Wheel starting at sunset on New Year's Eve through midnight on both Dec. 31 and Jan. 1.
While the Santa Monica Pier boardwalk will be closed overnight, visitors can view the light show from Santa Monica State Beach south of the pier, Palisades Park to the north, or beachfront hotels. Those celebrating at home can watch via live camera at www.pacpark.com/live.
The pier will close at 10 p.m. on both New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. The amusement park and other pier businesses will operate from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. both days.
Santa Monica will not host fireworks displays at the pier or state beach for the New Year's celebration.
The Pacific Wheel's energy-efficient LED lights are mounted on the Ferris wheel's structure, including 40 spokes and two hubs. The world's only solar-powered Ferris wheel features a lighting system capable of 16.7 million color combinations, displaying dynamic, computer-generated entertainment.
Pacific Park is Los Angeles' only admission-free amusement park, offering 12 rides, 14 midway games, five food vendors at Snackville and retail shopping. For more information and operating hours, call 310-260-8744 or visit pacpark.com.
Edited by SMDP Staff