Celebrate 2021: Santa Monica Pier Pacific Wheel's Virtual Party

SANTA MONICA, CA — One of LA's most iconic sites, the Santa Monica Pier's Pacific Wheel, will host a virtual celebration to ring in 2021 on Thursday night—and you don't even have to leave your couch.

Angelenos continue to stay home amid the pandemic and are invited to join the party streaming from Pacific Park on the Santa Monica Pier. The state has extended COVID-19 restrictions indefinitely.

The “West Coast New Year’s Eve Countdown 2021 on The Pacific Wheel” streams live on Dec. 31 beginning at 11:30 p.m. and features fun designs, colorful displays, and a 60-second countdown in huge animated numbers on the Pacific Wheel.

Using a variety of colors and patterns from its 174,000 LED lights, the Ferris wheel will present a numerical 60-second countdown, a “Happy New Year!” horizontal crawl, an oversized “2021,” and display “Happy New Year” in 16 different languages following the countdown, including Spanish, Chinese, Hindi, German, French and Japanese.

“Now, from anywhere in America guests can enjoy the 90-feet tall countdown numbers to ring in the New Year that brilliantly light up 40 feet over the Pacific Ocean atop the Santa Monica Pier,” Nathan Smithson, Director of Marketing and Business Development at Pacific Park on the Santa Monica Pier, said in a news release. “This New Year’s Eve presentation is all about celebrating in safety and in the comfort of your own home or safe space as we all weather the pandemic together.”

Viewers can visit www.pacpark.com/countdown2021 for the live New Year’s Eve presentation from the Pacific Wheel’s live cam or pick a platform on social media including Facebook, YouTube or Twitter.

The Santa Monica Pier is temporarily closed due to surging coronavirus cases. Pacific Park on the Santa Monica Pier’s rides and attractions, including the Pacific Wheel and West Coaster, remain closed until further notice.

Editor's Note: This story was updated with information that the Santa Monica Pier will be temporarily closed through Monday.

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