Times Square’s latest attraction is the wheel deal — a giant Ferris wheel is currently being constructed near to Duffy Square. But if you want to take a spin you’ll have to be quick, because the 110 ft-high ride will be in town for less than a month.
The Ferris wheel will be turning on Broadway between West 47th and West 48th Streets for around 3 weeks. The idea to bring it to the Crossroads of the World came from Vito Bruno, of Brooklyn-based AMPM Entertainment Concepts.
“The city needs something bold, new and fabulous,” Bruno told us this morning as his team started construction. He’s no stranger to big events at the crossroads of the world — he’s worked with Bruce Springsteen and Linkin Park there. He approached the Times Square Alliance (TSA) about the idea several months ago “and it’s been a sprint ever since” to bring it to fruition.
“This is the greatest selfie location in the world and the greatest city in the world and the greatest street in the world. It doesn’t get more fabulous than this,” Bruno said.
He also praised the work of the city agencies in making the project happen. “All those permits, permits and permits! The agencies within the city actually came together, worked as one unified team to make this happen, which is pretty spectacular,” he told us.
Asked who would be first on the wheel, he replied: “I’m curious to see who will get the first ride. I hear that the mayor’s going to be coming down. He may want the first ride. Some celebrities may want the first ride. We’ll see who gets here first.”
It took a week to bring the structure by road from Texas, and a team flown in from California and Florida is now putting the ride together — a job that could take up to 4 days to complete. The wheel has a permit to be in Times Square for just 29 days — a total that includes the 6 days it requires to be assembled and taken down.
Tickets for time-specific slots cost between $15 and $20 each and can be bought online and also from an on-site ticket booth. The ride lasts for 12 minutes.
It’s the first time there has been a Ferris wheel in Times Square since Toys R Us shuttered in 2015, and TSA president Tom Harris has welcomed the new attraction, saying that it “fits perfectly into the mayor’s overarching summer of fun campaign which includes the five borough concerts and Five Boro Bike Tour.”
He added: “We want to give people that ‘wow’ moment to show them Times Square is back.”
The limited time pop-up will operate from August 23 through to September 12. More information and tickets are available at TimesSquareWheel.nyc