the original ferris wheel at the 1893 world's columbian exposition in chicago, seen above the midway plaisance

what is the tallest ferris wheel in the world? (and the oldest, the slowest, the smallest)

i put a wind-up tin ferris wheel in the shop. then i wanted to know who its relatives were, so i did some fieldwork, from a desk: the tallest, the oldest, the one that never stops, the one with no middle. here's what i found.

short answer: the tallest ferris wheel in the world is ain dubai, 250 m, opened in october 2021, closed in 2022 and reopened on 26 december 2024. the tallest before it is the high roller in las vegas, 167.6 m. the oldest one still turning is the wiener riesenrad in vienna, built in 1897. the first one was built in chicago in 1893, to answer the eiffel tower, and was blown up with dynamite in 1906. the smallest one i know of is 22 cm tall and sits on my shelf.

the field guide

the first · chicago, 1893

paris had the eiffel tower from its 1889 world's fair. for chicago's world's columbian exposition, the fair's chief architect, daniel burnham, challenged american engineers to come up with something to rival it (rpi). george w. g. ferris jr., a bridge engineer from pittsburgh, came back with a wheel.

it opened on 21 june 1893: 80.4 m tall, 36 cars, each holding up to 60 people, 2,160 riders at once. a ticket was 50 cents for two turns, about 20 minutes. after the fair it was rebuilt in chicago's lincoln park, then moved to st. louis for the 1904 world's fair, and on 11 may 1906 it was brought down with dynamite and sold for scrap (wikipedia). it was about 220 m shorter than the eiffel tower. the tower is still standing.

the original ferris wheel at the 1893 world's columbian exposition in chicago, seen above the midway plaisance, photographed by william henry jackson
the first one, over the midway in chicago, 1893. photo: william henry jackson, public domain

the tallest · dubai, 2021

ain dubai, on bluewaters island: 250 m, 48 cabins, up to 1,750 people. it opened on 21 october 2021, closed in march 2022 for what the operators called periodic enhancements, stayed closed for more than two years, and reopened on 26 december 2024. it turns on hydraulic motors driving 64 rubber tyre rollers (wikipedia). it's 82.4 m taller than the next one down.

ain dubai, the world's tallest ferris wheel, on bluewaters island in dubai
ain dubai, 250 m. photo: richard n horne, cc by-sa 4.0

the runner-up · las vegas, 2014

the high roller: 167.6 m, 28 cabins of 40 people each. one ride is one full turn, 30 minutes. a daytime ticket was $24.95 when it opened in 2014 (wikipedia). it was the tallest in the world for seven years.

the high roller observation wheel in las vegas
the high roller, las vegas. photo: crjo-crjo, cc by-sa 4.0

the oldest still turning · vienna, 1897

the wiener riesenrad in the prater, 64.75 m, built for emperor franz joseph's golden jubilee. in 1916 the city issued a permit to demolish it, and it survived because there wasn't enough money to pay for the demolition. it was badly damaged in the second world war and rebuilt with 15 of its original 30 gondolas (wikipedia). you've probably seen it: it's in the third man (1949), the living daylights (1987) and before sunrise (1995).

the wiener riesenrad in vienna's prater, with its red gondolas
the riesenrad, still turning since 1897. photo: dietmar rabich, cc by-sa 4.0
title card from the 1949 trailer for the third man, written by graham greene
the title card from the trailer for the third man (1949). the film's most famous scene happens in a riesenrad gondola. photo: selznick releasing organization, public domain (trailer)

the one that never stops · london, 2000

the london eye, 135 m. it moves at 26 cm a second, slower than you walk, and one turn takes about 30 minutes. it doesn't stop to let people on; you step into a moving capsule, and it only pauses for people who need more time. there are 32 capsules, numbered 1 to 33, because there's no number 13. it was supposed to be temporary, on a five-year lease, and became permanent in 2002 (wikipedia). if i had to pick the most boring famous wheel, this is it, and that's the point.

the london eye lit up at night beside the thames, with big ben behind it
the london eye at night. still moving. photo: dietmar rabich, cc by-sa 4.0

the scariest-looking · new york, 1920

the wonder wheel at coney island, 46 m. sixteen of its 24 cars aren't fixed to the rim. they slide inward on snaking tracks and swing back out as the wheel turns. it looks dangerous. it isn't: it has a strong safety record, it came through hurricane sandy in 2012, and it has a hand crank for power cuts. it's been a new york city landmark since 1989 (wikipedia).

the wonder wheel at coney island in the off-season
the wonder wheel, coney island. the cars on the inner tracks are the ones that slide. photo: rhododendrites, cc by-sa 4.0

the wheel that stays still · weifang, 2017

the bailang river bridge wheel in weifang, china, sits on top of a bridge, and it has no hub and no spokes. it does still take you round: the 36 cabins ride around the outside of the ring, and the ring itself stays still, working like a circular track. one trip takes about 30 minutes. guinness measured it at 142.52 m and gave it the record for the tallest centreless observation wheel (guinness world records).

the bailang river bridge wheel in weifang, a ring with no hub or spokes, with cabins around the outside, above a bridge and kayakers on the river
the bailang river wheel, weifang. the ring stays still and the cabins go round it.

the odd ones

  • on a skyscraper: a wheel on the batumi technical university tower in georgia sits 170 m up a 200 m building. it's described as the first skyscraper-mounted wheel.
  • solar: the pacific wheel on the santa monica pier is described as the only solar-powered ferris wheel.
  • the newest i could find: the riga panorama wheel in latvia, 65 m, opened in 2025. that's the newest entry on the wikipedia list when i checked in october 2026 (same list).
  • the cheapest ride: chicago, 1893. 50 cents for 20 minutes, about $18 in today's money.
the pacific wheel on the santa monica pier
the pacific wheel on the santa monica pier. photo: dwaynewilbert, cc by-sa 4.0

the smallest · my shelf

a printed tin wind-up ferris wheel music box with striped gondolas, a fence and a ticket booth, on a wooden shelf
the smallest one in this guide. 22 cm.

the ferris wheel is printed tin, put together by hand, about 22 cm tall. wind the key and it turns slowly while it plays the blue danube. there's a fence around it and a man in a top hat selling tickets at the bottom. no batteries. it's a shelf piece for grown-ups, and because it's hand-assembled from printed tin, small scuffs on the edges come with it.

it holds no one. it was never meant to beat anything. it just goes round.

if you like old things with a story, there's also the bremen town musicians and did everyone have a wind-up tin toy?

Back to blog