“SkyStar” Officially Extended to 2025: Reopens March 4
The SkyStar Wheel in Golden Gate Park will be permitted to spin until 2025, the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department announced today.
UPDATE – On 3/15/21 the SF Board of Supervisors decided to revisit the matter and now may only extend SkyStar until 2022 instead of 2025
The Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) voted unanimously this afternoon to issue a Certificate of Appropriateness, allowing the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department to extend its contract with the wheel’s operator. The Recreation and Park Commission previously approved the contract extension contingent on the HPC’s vote.
The SkyStar Wheel will re-open Thursday (March 4, 2021) at noon following San Francisco entering the less restrictive red tier earlier this week. – General admission is $18, all tickets must be purchased in advance.
New 15% Discount for San Francisco Residents
Everyday discounts for San Francisco residents were also announced today. Beginning Monday, March 8, residents can purchase adult tickets for $15.30, while tickets for San Francisco children (3-12) and seniors (65+) will be $10.20, a 15 percent savings.
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- A Huge 150-Foot Ferris Wheel is Now in SF… But No One Can Ride It – 3/21/20
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Graduating Seniors Get Free Rides
On Tuesday, SkyStar and SF Rec and Park announced that each graduating senior from the San Francisco Unified School District will receive a free ride on the Wheel this summer beginning June 2 through Sept. 6. Students must show their SFUSD identification card at the onsite ticket booth to claim the free ride.
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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.
