The new, taller Ferris wheel at Navy Pier is slated to open May 27. The good news comes just after another big announcement that Chicago Shakespeare Theater is building an additional theater at Navy Pier, bringing their total number of performance spaces there to three.
The 196-foot Ferris wheel will make its grand debut over Memorial Day weekend and kick off Navy Pier's centennial celebration. The new Ferris wheel is nearly 50 feet taller than the previous rendition and is able to accommodate 180 more passengers. These bigger and better improvements also come with other improvements such as climate-controlled gondolas, TV screens, speakers and more comfortable seats.
The Ferris wheel renovations are part of a $640 million plan to draw more tourist dollars and big-name conventions to Chicago.