A 10-story Ferris wheel will soon soar over the Philly Zoo
The towering observation wheel, dubbed the "Pherris Wheel," by Zoo officials, will remain through the city's celebration's of America's 250th anniversary in 2026.
The Philadelphia Zoo’s massive, nature-inspired light show will include a towering new addition this season. For the first time in its more than 150-year history, the Philadelphia Zoo will feature a Ferris wheel on its campus. The 10-story amusement ride — dubbed the “Pherris Wheel” by zoo officials — will open Nov. 20 and sit just past the zoo’s main entrance, offering a gondola’s-eye view of the animal park below, Boathouse Row, the Philadelphia Art Museum, and the skyline below.
Unlike the rest of the zoo’s immersive, multimedia light show, LumiNature, which runs through Jan. 3, Philly’s new giant wheel will remain spinning through the city’s celebrations of America’s 250th anniversary in 2026, known as the Semiquincentennial.
“Winter at the zoo is different and still a wonderful time to visit,” said Jo-Elle Mogerman, Philadelphia Zoo president and CEO, in a statement Wednesday announcing the Pherris Wheel. “This light show is designed for guests of all ages to connect with animals, each other, and the beauty of our planet during the holiday season. We’re really excited to have the addition of the Philly Zoo Pherris Wheel.”
And while the Philly Zoo has long been an enchanting wildlife winter wonderland, a snowy, tiger-stalking vista (where Rocky once wondered if Adrian would marry him), it will burn brighter than ever this season.
Launched as the zoo’s first major holiday light and sound experience in 2019, as well as its first nighttime installation, LumiNature will twinkle with more than a million lights and illuminated wildlife displays. The zoo-wide installation returns with more than a dozen immersive displays this year, including its signature 40-foot sparkling penguin, the towering tree of flamingo lawn ornaments, and a new Santa’s Lodge, where kids can meet Santa and parents can toast the Yuletide with some boozy hot chocolate.
The Pherris Wheel represents only the latest planned addition to Philly’s holiday firmament, after city officials said Tuesday that a 30-foot-tall German Christmas pyramid will tower over LOVE Park’s Christmas Village this year.
Still, with its family-sized gondolas lighting up the winter sky in the Centennial District, the big wheel offers views for Philadelphians not seen since the Zoo Balloon closed in 2014.