Is the music festival’s iconic Ferris Wheel worth it? – Orange County Register

Like clockwork, every April for the past decade, I opened Instagram to see Coachella Music and Arts Festival fashion outfits all over my feed. But the common denominator isn’t just the annual festival’s hashtags, but rather what’s in the background of the photos, something so recognizable that friends and followers instantly know where they are.

I’m of course talking about the Coachella Ferris wheel.

Related: Coachella 2024: Is walking to the top of the Rainbow Tower worth it?

I had so many questions. How much do people pay to go there? How long do they have to wait in line? How long is the journey itself? Does it feel like a sauna inside or is there air conditioning to keep festival-goers cool? And finally, is it worth it?

Here’s what I found.

@le.socal.local

If you’ve been to Coachella, you’ve probably taken a photo with the iconic Ferris wheel in the background, but have you ever ridden it before? We decided to find out for ourselves if it was worth it. The ride costs $15 per person and takes approximately 3-5 minutes, plus loading and unloading time. For more Coachella updates, be sure to follow @the.socal.local and visit the link in our bio for more information about the Festival season. #coachella #coachella2024 #ferris wheel #lanadelrey #tylerthecreator #dojacat #nodoubt #coachellavalley #thingstodo #festival #festivalseason #musicfestival

♬ original sound – The SoCal Local

To start, the price: It costs $15 per person to ride the Ferris wheel. According to participants from previous years, this is a $5 increase from pre-pandemic prices, but the Ferris wheel has also seen some improvements. It used to be open with the breeze coming and going, but they changed it to a closed model, which, yes, provides air conditioning.

My entire experience lasted about 20 minutes, 12 minutes spent waiting in line and 8 minutes on the Ferris wheel, even though the attendants had previously told me the ride usually took 3-5 minutes. They will fully charge the Ferris wheel before taking guests through a full loop without stopping.

I had just missed the loop cutoff in front of me, making me one of the first people to make one for our ride. The advantage of this was that I got the views slowly while I waited for those below to load and unload from the Ferris wheel. The wrong side? I have a fear of heights and was stopped at the very top of the Ferris wheel for what was probably only a minute, but it seemed far too long for my personal enjoyment.

The advantage of being the first to load on the first wheel meant that once the fun of the non-stop loop was over, I was then the first to share the ride.

Another thing that surprised me about the ride is that they allow you to ride with your group and don’t force you to ride with strangers, even if you are a small group or a single rider like me . They also have music inside, which appears to be coming from a local radio station and a missed opportunity to broadcast live feeds from the various stages.