Coachella's Ferris wheel is nearly synonymous with the festival itself, often the first stop for a quick outfit pick before attendees make their way to the stage.
Like clockwork, every April for the past decade I’ve opened Instagram to see fashion fits from the Coachella Music and Arts Festival all over my feed. But the common denominator isn’t just the hashtags of the annual festival, but rather what’s in the background of the photos, something so recognizable it’s instantly clear to friends and followers where they are.
I’m talking of course 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 on it? How long do they have to wait in line? How long is the ride itself? Does it feel like a sauna inside or is there air conditioning to keep festivalgoers cool? And ultimately, is it worth it?
Here’s what I found.
@the.socal.local If you’ve been to Coachella you’ve probably made sure to get 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’s worth it. The ride costs $15 per person and takes about 3-5 minutes to ride 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 Festival season news. #coachella #coachella2024 #ferriswheel #lanadelrey #tylerthecreator #dojacat #nodoubt #coachellavalley #thingstodo #festival #festivalseason #musicfestival
For starters, the price: It costs $15 per person to ride the Ferris wheel. According to attendees from previous years, this is a $5 increase from prepandemic prices, but the Ferris wheel has also seen some upgrades. It used to be open with the breeze coming and going, but they changed it to an enclosed model, which yes, does provide air conditioning.
My entire experience took about 20 minutes, 12 minutes spent waiting in line and 8 minutes on the Ferris wheel, although I had been told by attendants prior that the ride was typically 3-5 minutes long. They will completely load the Ferris wheel before having patrons ride one full loop without stops.
I had just missed the cutoff for the loop ahead of me, making me one of the first people to get one the ride for our round. The benefit of this was I got the views slowly as I waited for those below to load and unload from the Ferris wheel. The downside? I am afraid of heights, and was stopped at the very top of the Ferris wheel for what was only probably a minute but felt much too long for my own personal enjoyment.
The benefit of being the first to load onto the first wheel meant that after the fun was done of the nonstop loop, I was then the first to department the ride.
Other things that surprised me about the ride was that they let you ride with your group and don’t make you ride with strangers even if you’re a small party, or a single rider such as myself. They also have music playing inside, which seemed to be from a local radio station and a missed opportunity to play live streams of the different stages.
If the line is short enough, if you and your friends want a break from the sets to rest your feet and cool down, sure, give it a try. It’s a fun experience and it was cool to see the festival from a bird’s eye view.
However for $15 each, it’s likely something I won’t do again at the festival. Instead, I would recommend using that time to check out one of the art exhibits, such as Spectra, which I discovered also has air conditioning.
