Giant Wheel
​1972

Giant Wheel is Cedar Point's ferris wheel ride. 

The 1950s were a difficult time for Cedar Point—so much so that the park nearly closed. Determined to turn things around, park leaders developed a plan to transform it into the “Disneyland of the Midwest.” This vision led to the addition of new attractions that would restore its popularity.

In 1963, the Cedar Point and Lake Erie Railroad began taking guests on a journey back to the days of the wild west. The following year, Blue Streak opened as the first major roller coaster built at the park in decades. In 1965, Space Spiral debuted as the first ride in the world to exceed 300 feet. 1966 saw the introduction of Pirate Ride, which transported riders to the age of swashbuckling adventures on the high seas.
​
Expansion continued with the opening of Frontier Town in 1967, which was later expanded in 1969 to include Cedar Creek Mine Ride. In 1970, Cedar Point celebrated its 100th anniversary with the addition of the Million Dollar Midway, and in 1971, Frontier Trail opened, continuing the park’s growth and transformation.

With all of these new additions, 1972 brought even more attention and excitement, leading to further expansions of Cedar Point’s lineup.

1972 was another big year for Cedar Point, as the park added three new attractions: Matterhorn, Jumbo Jet, and Giant Wheel.

These new additions gave every member of the family another ride they could enjoy.

Giant Wheel was located at the end of Frontier Trail, behind the Cedar Point and Lake Erie Railroad station.

Giant Wheel was located near the center of the park and offered a great view of the entire park.

In 1995, Cedar Point celebrated its 125th anniversary with a new show. As part of the production, a giant screen was placed in front of the Giant Wheel. The screen was unattractive and seemed out of place.

Over the years, the park grew and changed around Giant Wheel many times. By the late 1990s, the rides surrounding it made the attraction seem small.

On July 22, 1999, Cedar Point announced it would build Millennium Force for the 2000 season. The ride was planned for Frontier Trail and would displace Giant Wheel.

Cedar Point closed for the season on Sunday, October 10, 1999. After the park closed, Giant Wheel was carefully dismantled.

On the Beach Midway, Kid Arthur’s Court was removed, and site preparation began to allow Giant Wheel to be relocated to its new location.

After the ride was taken apart, it was fully restored. The disassembly allowed for a major overhaul that would have been difficult to complete otherwise.

Giant Wheel was reassembled in the spring of 2000, repainted, and equipped with a new control system.
​
It was the first time the ride had been completely dismantled since it was built in 1972.

Giant Wheel reopened in its new location on Saturday, May 13, 2000.

Giant Wheel is located on The Boardwalk, in front of Cedar Point’s Grand Pavilion.

Giant Wheel lifts riders 145 feet into the air. From the top, riders get a great view of Cedar Point as well as Cedar Point Beach.

The ride’s new location is much better than the old one. It is easy for guests to find and is no longer hidden behind an unattractive screen.

Giant Wheel is a massive Ferris wheel. There are many types of Ferris wheels, built by different manufacturers. Over the years, the Ferris wheel has become a classic amusement park attraction.
​

 Giant Wheel was built by Anton Schwarzkopf of Germany, who constructed only two of these rides. The first was installed at Cedar Point, and the second opened in 1974 at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey.

Giant Wheel Ride Facts:
Manufacturer: Anton Schwarzkopf
Opened: May 20, 1972
Height: 145 feet
Diameter: 128 feet
Giant Wheel cost $1 million to build in 1972. Adjusted for inflation, that would be approximately $7,913,673.97 in 2026 dollars.

Giant Wheel is a great ride that the whole family can enjoy together.

Giant Wheel Gets New Lights

When Giant Wheel opened, it featured 7,996 light bulbs. These lights required regular maintenance, with many burnt-out bulbs replaced each night.

For the 2012 season, Cedar Point introduced Luminosity, a nighttime show that ran nightly from 2012 to 2017.

As part of Luminosity, Cedar Point lit up the Main Midway at night with new lighting. The park also added LED lights to three rides: Millennium Force (2000), Giant Wheel (1972), and Power Tower (1998).

Cedar Point wanted Power Tower, Millennium Force, and Giant Wheel to stand out at night, as these rides are highly visible from Celebration Plaza.

As part of the makeover, Giant Wheel received a fresh new coat of paint.

Giant Wheel’s new LED lighting package looks great and really brightens the ride at night.

This upgrade helped bring the ride up to modern standards.

The new paint also improved the ride’s appearance during the day.

Ride Experience

The Giant Wheel experience begins as riders enter the queue, which is located directly in front of the ride.

The line for Giant Wheel is usually long, with wait times typically around 20 to 30 minutes. At its busiest, the wait can reach 45 minutes to an hour.

Riders board the Giant Wheel’s cabins at the bottom of the ride, with each car accommodating up to six people. In total, the ride features 36 cars, allowing for a maximum of 216 riders per cycle. Each rider is secured with a seatbelt.

Giant Wheel’s cars are in six different colors: light green, dark green, light blue, dark blue, yellow, and red.

Giant Wheel rotates in a counterclockwise direction.

The Giant Wheel cabins are loaded by color groups. As the wheel rotates, each section moves around and stops at every position to allow guests to exit and new riders to board.

Once all the cabins have been loaded, the ride cycle begins.

Giant Wheel takes riders around approximately three times. While the ride is in motion, guests get a great view of the front of Cedar Point and Lake Erie. It’s a great attraction for taking in scenic views of the park.

Giant Wheel then begins unloading riders in the same order they were loaded. The ride stops as each cabin reaches the bottom to allow guests to exit.

Riders exit Giant Wheel at the back of the ride, facing Cedar Point Beach.

Giant Wheel was very popular at Cedar Point. After its debut, the park continued to expand by adding:Cedar Point Cinema (1975-2001), Corkscrew (1976), Troika (1976), Witches’ Wheel (1977-2018), Gemini (1978), Gemini Chilrden’s Area (1979-2013), Wave Swinger (1979), WildCat (1979-2011), Oceana (1980), Ocean Motion (1981), Kid Arthur’s Court (1982-2005), White Water Landing (1982-2005), Demon Drop (1983-2009), Avalanche Run (1985-1989), Berenstain Bear Country (1985-1998), Thunder Canyon (1986), Iron Dragon (1987), Soak City Water Park (1988-2016), Magnum XL-200 (1989), Disaster Transport (1990-2012), Mean Streak (1991-2016), Challenge Park (1992-2016), Snake River Falls (1993-2024), Kiddy Kingdom (1993), Raptor (1994), Cedar Point’s 125th Anniversary Celebration (1995), RipCord (1996-2016), Mantis (1996-2014), Chaos (1997-2011), Swan Boats (1997-2003), Power Tower (1998), Camp Snoopy (1999), Millennium Force (2000), Lighthouse Point (2001), Wicked Twister (2002-2021), Good Time Theatre (2002-2014), Top Thrill Dragster (2003-2021), Castaway Bay Resort (2004), maXair (2005), Skyhawk (2006), Maverick (2007), Planet Snoopy (2008), Shoot the Rapids (2010-2015), WindSeeker (2011), Dinosaurs Alive! On Adventure Island (2012-2018), GateKeeper (2013), New Gemini Midway (2014), Rougarou (2015), Valravn (2016), Cedar Point Shores Waterpark (2017), Steel Vengeance (2018), Forbidden Frontier on Adventure Island (2019-2022), Cedar Point’s 150th Anniversary Celebration (2021), Snake River Expedition (2021-2023), The Boardwalk (2023), Top Thrill 2 (2024), and Siren’s Curse (2025)


All of these attractions have helped shape Cedar Point into what it is today.

Giant Wheel is a great ride that the whole family can enjoy together!

Riders must be at least 48 inches tall to ride alone or be accompanied by a supervising companion to ride Giant Wheel. Hand-held infants and single riders are not permitted.

Photos by:J ake Hamons, Andrew Borgen, COASTER-net ,The Lost Coaster,Russ Hauden, COASTER-net, Ron Hintze, Ray Osburn and Cedar Point.

Last Updated: 05/01/2026