Galbani Italian Feast of San Gennaro for One, Two, or Four on September 25–27 (Up to 60% Off)
Similar deals
The festival celebrates all things Italian with live music, food from local restaurants, and rides
Choose from Three Options
$10 for a ticket package for one adult and one child ($25 value)
$20 for a ticket package for two adults and two children ($50 value)
- Admission
- Ferris-wheel ride
- Pony ride
- Face painting
- Photo-booth picture
- Valid only on September 26 or 27
$7.50 for a ticket package for one adult ($15 value)
- Admission
- Ferris-wheel ride
- Photo-booth picture
- Food tastings
- Valid September 25, 26, or 27
The festival runs Friday, September 25–Sunday, September 27.
Four Things to Know About Ferris Wheels
It may not be as fast-paced as other activities, but it’s hard to beat the ferris wheel for a great view. Follow along to survey the attraction’s past, present, and future.
1. The ferris wheel first came to life on a steakhouse cocktail napkin. Daniel Burnham, director of works for the Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893, wanted to include a structure that would “out-Eiffel” Paris’s Eiffel Tower, and inspired engineer George Washington Gale Ferris Jr. threw his design in the ring. Plans called for a giant steel wheel that would carry more than 1,000 festivalgoers and lazy birds 264 feet into the air in 36 train-car-size compartments. The wheel would eventually tower 26 stories above the fairgrounds and turn Ferris into a household name.
2. But Ferris didn’t invent the concept. Hand-cranked wooden wheels popped up in Europe as far as 200 years before the ferris wheel made its debut. Ferris also had a contemporary rival: inventor and carpenter William Somers of New Jersey filed a patent for an Observation Roundabout in 1891. A giant amusement wheel made of wood, it was originally sketched in 1888 and would go on to adorn the boardwalks of Atlantic City and Coney Island in 1892. Somers sued Ferris but lost, and it remains Ferris’s name that adorns the ride around the world.
3. You can take a ferris wheel on the road, but don’t forget the hose. You’ll need to supply about 11,000 gallons of water. A portable ferris wheel requires lots of ballast to keep it from tipping over, and water does the trick nicely. At 60 meters tall, the Ronald Bussink company’s portable wheels also need 18 20-foot trailers to transport from town to town.
4. Taller wheels are on their way. At 689 feet, the Dubai Eye will stand 2.6 times taller than the original ferris wheel and taller than New York City’s 58-story Trump Tower. The island on which it will stand is currently under construction.