The Santa Monica Pier Ferris Wheel will be lit yellow, orange, pink, purple, and blue on Thursday, September 15 in recognition of Hispanic Heritage Month 2022.

Hispanic Heritage Month is an opportunity to recognize and celebrate the culture, contributions, and heritage of American people whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, and South America. This recognition began in 1968 when President Lyndon B. Johnson issued a proclamation annually designating the week including September 15th and 16th as National Hispanic Heritage Week. This was expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period starting on September 15 and ending on October 15.

Each year, Americans observe National Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15, by celebrating the histories, cultures, and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. The day of September 15 is significant because it is the anniversary of independence for Latin American countries Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. In addition, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on September 16 and September 18, respectively. Also, Columbus Day or Día de la Raza, which is October 12, falls within this 30-day period. The City of Santa Monica expands this celebration to all Latin Americans to honor the Latino/Latinx identity in the United States. In Santa Monica, approximately 16 percent of residents and over 30 percent of staff are of Hispanic or Latino ancestry. 

For Hispanic Heritage Month, Rooftop Cinema is showcasing some of the most beloved cinema stories centered around and celebrating Hispanic culture, as well as movies made by prominent Hispanic filmmakers and actors.

• September 5th – Selena
  The true story of Selena Quintanilla-Perez, a Texas-born Tejano singer who rose from cult status to performing at the Astrodome, as well as having chart-topping albums on the Latin music charts.
• September 17th – Coco
  Aspiring musician Miguel, confronted with his family’s ancestral ban on music, enters the Land of the Dead to find his great-great-grandfather, a legendary singer.
• September 17th – Guardians of the Galaxy
  Light years from Earth, 26 years after being abducted, Peter Quill finds himself the prime target of a manhunt after discovering an orb wanted by Ronan the Accuser.
• September 18th – Encanto
  The magic of the Encanto has blessed every child in the family with a unique gift from super strength to the power to heal—every child except one, Mirabel. But when she discovers that the magic surrounding the Encanto is in danger, Mirabel decides that she, the only ordinary Madrigal, might just be her exceptional family’s last hope.

Pacific Park on the Santa Monica Pier will participate with a special lighting of the Pacific Wheel featuring festive floral designs in yellow, orange, pink, purple, and blue. This special lighting event will take place on the evening of Thursday, September 15. The Ferris wheel lights can be seen from dusk until 11:35 PM each evening. Enjoy watching the light program online at www.dev.pacpark.enki.tech/live.

WHAT:
Special Lighting of the Pacific Wheel for Hispanic Heritage Month 2022

WHEN:
Thursday, September 15
dusk (around 7 PM) to midnight

WHERE:
Pacific Park on the Santa Monica Pier

See the lights from home at www.dev.pacpark.enki.tech/live.

Pacific Park regularly programs the Ferris wheel to display seasonal programming and themed light designs for holidays and special occasions. The Pacific Wheel’s state-of-the-art lighting package was installed in 2016 and can display over 1.6 million different colors and animate patterns and icons in 24 frames per second. The energy-efficient LEDs on the face of the Ferris wheel are powered by solar arrays inside Pacific Park. The light programs are curated and designed by Pacific Park staff. Each design is manually animated; some designs can take hours of programming. The aim is to provide fun, high-energy, and sometimes whimsical designs to entertain guests on the Santa Monica Pier and surrounding beaches.

Feature image courtesy of @eugeneksoh