Wildwood’s iconic Ferris wheel is getting renovated in South Philly’s Navy Yard

One of Wildwood’s iconic attractions is taking a road trip to Philadelphia this offseason after 40 years at the Jersey Shore.

The Giant Wheel at Morey’s Piers, a 156-foot LED-lit Ferris wheel, is being disassembled piece by piece for refurbishment. Its central hub will be transported to the Philadelphia Navy Yard for extra care over the winter, said Mike Granigan, director of construction.

The $1.5 million renovation on one of the tallest Ferris wheels at the Jersey Shore is already underway.

Don’t fret, Granigan said, the Giant Wheel will be repaired and returned to the Wildwood boardwalk in February or March, well before the start of the 2026 summer season.

Many locals will not be surprised by the refresh; the Ferris wheel and the dozens of other attractions are repaired annually, including last year’s offseason, when the Giant Wheel was disassembled, repaired, and repainted. But this year’s job is a bigger deal than most repairs.

However, locals like Michele Devine-Hartnett, who has lived in North Wildwood for more than 30 years, will miss her regular view of the Ferris wheel in the Wildwood skyline.

“It is a landmark that is always there, and when you see it, you know that you are home. Having the Ferris wheel lit is always a nice touch, especially for the holidays,” Devine-Hartnett said.

This year’s project will be the ride’s most in-depth inspection and repair job in nearly 25 years, Granigan said. By next week, the Ferris wheel will be fully disassembled and the central hub will be transported to industrial repair firm Chalmers & Kubeck at the Navy Yard in South Philadelphia, where it will be sandblasted and repainted, and much of its inner hardware will be replaced.

It’s much easier to disassemble and make repairs on the ground than to do maintenance 100 feet in the air, Granigan said. The hub will go to Philadelphia because Chalmers & Kubeck’s shop has the space required to house the 16,000-pound Ferris wheel centerpiece.

“It’s easier to get the job done once and right,” Granigan said.

Designed by Dutch ride manufacturer Vekoma and installed in 1985, the Giant Wheel has been a mainstay of the Wildwood skyline. In 2012, its visibility was boosted with an LED system.

The Giant Wheel is one of the Jersey Shore’s remaining large-scale Ferris wheels, as Ocean City lost Gillian’s Wonderland Pier and its Ferris wheel last year. Additionally, since the closing of the Splash Zone water park earlier this month, Morey’s Piers are the last beachside water parks in Wildwood.