National Ferris Wheel Day for the year 2023 is celebrated/observed on Tuesday, February 14th. There are until the next observance.
Every year on February 14th, National Ferris Wheel Day is observed! We’re sure you have wonderful childhood memories of riding on a Ferris wheel if you enjoy fun and adventure and aren’t afraid of heights. Ferris wheels come in a variety of sizes, are enjoyable to ride on, and provide a spectacular, bird’s-eye perspective. Did you know that the ‘High Roller’ is the world’s largest Ferris wheel? The huge wheel stands 550 feet tall in Las Vegas!
📆 When is National Ferris Wheel Day?
This year, National Ferris Wheel Day is on February 14th. It is the 2nd Tuesday in February; in 2024, it is on Wednesday.
→ Did you know: The original Ferris wheel cost fifty cents to ride.
You can also see all fascinating things you didn’t know about and facts about February 14, 2023.
📜 History of National Ferris Wheel Day
Ferris, a civil engineer born in Galesburg, Illinois in 1859, invented the Ferris wheel and created the original Chicago Ferris Wheel. In 1881, he graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York.
As the United States’ equivalent of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, Ferris built his prototype as a landmark for the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. It took Ferris two years to create and build what was then known as “the Chicago Wheel.” Ferris’ gigantic wheel, which cost over $700,000 in 1893 and had over 100,000 pieces, stood at an astonishing 264 feet high, rising nearly 26 stories above Chicago. It featured 36 gondolas (glass-encased carriages with closed doors) and could carry up to 60 passengers (40 seated, 20 standing). During the next 19 weeks of the World’s Columbian Exposition, almost 1.4 million people paid 50 cents for a 20-minute spin on the wheel.
Following the show, the Ferris wheel was relocated to St. Louis, Missouri, for the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in 1904, and was demolished with explosives on May 11, 1906, for scrap metal. Parts of Ferris’ original design were demolished and utilized to build the USS Illinois, a World War I battleship, and a bridge over the Kankakee River south of Chicago. Although Ferris had a brief life, dying at the age of 37 from typhoid disease, his invention lives on and is appreciated by fun-seekers all over the world. Ferris wheels may now be seen in tourist parks, festivals, carnivals, and other types of festivities.
☑️ National Ferris Wheel Day facts
✅ Four times shorter
Although the first Ferris wheel was designed to compete with Paris’s 1,063-foot Eiffel Tower, it was only 264 feet tall and four times shorter.
✅ $25,000 for safety research
Fair organizers thought Ferris’ 26-story-tall rollercoaster would be too unsafe, so he paid for safety studies out of his own pocket.
✅ Sketches on a napkin
Ferris first drew ideas for his wheel on napkins at a Chicago diner. Then, he made more detailed blueprints of his ideas.
✨ Things to do on National Ferris Wheel Day
⚡ Ride one
If you live near a Ferris wheel, today is the ideal day to ride it, especially if you haven’t done so in a long time. You may organize a lover’s date and take advantage of the opportunity to get closer, or you could spend quality time with your friends and family. You’ll feel like a child again, reveling in the pleasure of the ride’s fun and excitement.
⚡ Read about the history
The creation and evolution of the Ferris wheel have a fascinating history. You may spend time reading it and getting a sense of Ferris’ ambition and dream to entertain the world.
⚡ Eat a snack or two
Because Ferris wheels are frequently found in theme parks, you might take advantage of the opportunity to eat some carnival goodies. Popsicles, buttered popcorn, corn dogs, cotton candy, and funnel cakes come to mind. But keep in mind that none of these foods are nutritious.
📅 National Ferris Wheel Day Observances
| YEAR | DATE | DAY |
| 2023 | February 14 | Tuesday |
| 2024 | February 14 | Wednesday |
| 2025 | February 14 | Friday |
| 2026 | February 14 | Saturday |
| 2027 | February 14 | Sunday |
You can view all February holidays, including Special Interest and other Fun holidays.
We will continue to update this page with new information and interesting facts about National Ferris Wheel Day. So be sure to check back soon.