Free “SkyStar” Ferris Wheel Rides for SF’s Graduating Seniors

Thanks to SkyStar and SF Rec and Park’s generous offer for all San Francisco public school graduating seniors to take a free ride on the Wheel this summer beginning June 2 through Sept. 6; students will need to show their SFUSD identification card at the on-site ticket booth for the free ride.

Tickets are normally $18 + tax to ride Golden Gate Park’s “Skystar” observation wheel. SF residents can receive a 15% discount.

Want to ride? Recently announced, the SkyStar Wheel in Golden Gate Park will be permitted to spin until 2025.

About SkyStar
Standing 15 stories, the state-of-the-art SkyStar Observation Wheel features 36 enclosed well-ventilated gondolas, boasting unparalleled views from downtown San Francisco to the Pacific Ocean. Health and safety modifications to prevent the spread of COVID-19 will be maintained including thorough sanitizing of all gondolas between each use; only family and friends will share a gondola; social distancing in queues; onsite handwashing; and temperature testing for staff and riders.

The SkyStar Wheel was installed in March 2020 as part of Golden Gate Park’s 150th anniversary celebration planned by the Rec and Park Department and supported by the San Francisco Parks Alliance. Scheduled to open April 4, it was delayed in opening due to the coronavirus pandemic and the City’s initial shelter-in-place mandate. More than 200 days later, the Wheel opened Oct. 21 giving more than 65,000 rides over 39 days before having to cease operations on November 29 as the city moved into the highly restricted purple tier. As a result, the Wheel will have been shuttered for an additional 95 days prior to the March 4 reopening.

The Observation Wheel is located in the Music Concourse, the outdoor plaza near the de Young Museum, the California Academy of Sciences, and the Japanese Tea Garden. Public parking is available from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the adjacent Music Concourse Garage, with entrance on the Fulton Street side.

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• “SkyStar” Officially Extended to 2025: Reopens March 4 – 3/3/2021
• Feud Erupts Over SF’s Ferris Wheel Extension to 2025 – 2/18/21
• Golden Gate Park Observation Wheel Seeks Extension to 2025 – 1/28/21
• SF’s Ferris Wheel Shuts Down Again – 11/28/2020
• SF’s Massive Ferris Wheel Opens Today (Oct. 21) – 10/21/20
• SF’s 150-Foot Ferris Wheel Opens October 21 – 10/7/20
• SF’s Huge 150-Foot Ferris Wheel Opens “Late October” – 9/30/20
• A Huge 150-Foot Ferris Wheel is Now in SF… But No One Can Ride It – 3/21/20
• A 150-Foot Ferris Wheel is Coming to Golden Gate Park in 2020 – 12/12/19