March is Red Cross Month and the Santa Monica Pier will be lit red to celebrate the occasion. At their March meeting, the Santa Monica City Council will recognize the efforts of the American Red Cross Los Angeles Region by presenting a city proclamation to Santa Monica Bay Chapter Director, Julie Thomas. Pacific Park will celebrate by lighting the word-famous Pacific Wheel bright red for the evening. The internationally-recognized Red Cross icon will fill the sky 130 feet over the Pacific Ocean. Pacific Park encourages our neighbors to learn more about the American Red Cross and other organizations in the community that promote resiliency, preparedness and provide essential services during times of disaster.
Last year, Santa Monica Mayor Ted Winterer read a proclamation recognizing the Red Cross’s work in the community. He listed the efforts of the local Santa Monica Bay Chapter of the American Red Cross including hosting blood drives, providing health and safety service training like life guard, CPR and nursing certification, and answering the calls of the Santa Monica Police and Fire Departments to respond to local disasters like house fires and evacuations.
The Santa Monica Bay Chapter of the Red Cross was particularly active in the last several months providing disaster shelter services for those displaced by the fires in neighboring Malibu and Topanga Canyon. Pacific Park is a proud supporter of the American Red Cross and excited to once again shine a light on their efforts in Santa Monica and beyond.
The Pacific Wheel goes red at dusk and will feature a short program of red and white lights, as well as the Red Cross icon. Here are three great places to watch the lights of the Ferris wheel:
- Ocean & Vine is a retro lounge located inside the Santa Monica Lowes Hotel at 1700 Ocean Avenue. They open for dinner at 6 PM most nights and their outdoor patio offers sweeping views of the beach just south of the Pier. The Pacific Wheel is situated at a 45% angle to the beach, so the Lowes offers one of the best straight-on views of the Wheel’s lights.
- Mariasol at the western most end of the Pier offers the most unique perspective of the Ferris wheel. Seated on their outdoor dining patio, guests can watch the Pacific Wheel’s light programs framed by the expanse of the Santa Monica coastline.
- Can’t make it out to the Pier for this event? You can always watch the light programs on the Pacific Wheel by visiting Pacific Park’s website to view the live-streaming webcams.
Pacific Park joins other Southern California landmarks in going red for Red Cross Month. Other buildings and landmarks illuminating for this special occasion include LA City Hall, the pylons at LAX, and US Bank Building in Downtown LA.
The Pacific Wheel has become an icon on the Southern California coastline and is regularly featured in film, TV shows, and daily newscasts in the Southland. The Park accommodates special lighting requests to celebrate holidays, special occasions, and to bring awareness to our partners and community-focused organizations. The Wheel’s 174,000 LED lights are mounted on the Ferris wheel’s structure including the 40 spokes and two hubs. The world’s only solar-powered Ferris wheel’s lighting system features 16.7 million color value combinations while the programming and display software presents imaging up to 24 frames per second to display dynamic, custom, computer-generated lighting entertainment. The eco-friendly, enhanced LED lighting provides 81 percent greater energy savings than most Ferris wheel’s traditional incandescent bulbs.
The American Red Cross provides assistance for active duty armed service members, disaster services, international aide, blood collection, health and safety services training, and emergency preparedness. In the Los Angeles Region, the Red Cross Disaster Response Team answers calls from local fire, police, and emergency agencies for aide every day. The Santa Monica Bay Chapter of the American Red Cross has been a part of the community for over 100 years and is currently made up of over 1,400 volunteers.