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Starting Friday, you’ll no longer have to sit through shore traffic if you want to ride a ferris wheel. The Philly waterfront is getting its very own version of the boardwalk classic.
The ferris wheel overlooking the Delaware is part of “The Midway,” the pop-up arcade at Blue Cross RiverRink Summerfest, which is organized by the same folks behind ultra-popular Spruce Street Harbor Park. Alongside the open-air roller skating rink, there’s old-school video games, a Zoltar fortune-telling machine and a carousel. But the Ferris wheel is definitely the prime attraction.
This one’s not huge — 60 feet high, compared to, say the 156-foot giant in Wildwood— but you can still catch great views from the top, including the Ben Franklin Bridge, the river itself, and the Philadelphia skyline. The ride is family-friendly, and costs $4 per person.
The Midway is open seven days a week:
- 1 to 10:30 p.m. Monday to Thursday
- 1 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Friday
- 11 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. Saturday
- 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Sunday
The Ferris wheel and the other rides officially launch on June 23 and will stay open all the way through August 14 of this year.
Check out a sneak preview of what to expect when you hop into one of the 16 gondolas and slowly rise above the city.
