A new 132-foot observation wheel is now spinning over Irvine Spectrum Center, replacing the Giant Wheel that towered over the outdoor mall since 2002. The Spectrum SunWheel, manufactured by Italy-based Fabbri Group, opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Saturday, September 19, and now anchors the same spot where generations of visitors once posed for photos on the old ride's octagonal gondolas.
According to a press release distributed via signalnewschattanooga.com, the SunWheel now takes residence in the former site of Irvine Spectrum Center's Giant Wheel. The new wheel features 27 gondolas that comfortably seat up to six passengers each, three more gondolas than its predecessor offered, along with an enhanced in-gondola audio system and programmable LED technology with rim and spoke lighting.
Hoag offered complimentary admission to the first 300 riders at the grand opening, per the same press release. General admission now runs $10, with a $15 option for the Spectrum Speed Pass, and tickets are available at guest services kiosks and online, according to Irvine Spectrum Center's attraction page. Riders must be at least 63 inches tall or 12 years old to board without a qualifying responsible rider accompanying them, per the same source.
Faster Lines Were the Point
Long waits were one of the most common complaints about the old Giant Wheel, and the mall's operators built the replacement with that problem squarely in mind. Peak wait times for the Spectrum SunWheel are expected to be approximately 45 minutes, compared to about 90 minutes on the former Giant Wheel, the venue's attraction page states. The improvement is attributed to increased rider capacity and improved ride operations designed to reduce wait times, rather than simply adding more gondolas.
The height increase over the old ride is described inconsistently across sources. The same press release from signalnewschattanooga.com states the new wheel reaches 132 feet tall, 24 feet taller than its predecessor, while Irvine Spectrum Center's own attraction page describes the SunWheel as 23 feet taller than the former 108-foot Giant Wheel. Either figure puts the new ride well above its predecessor, which had stood as the Spectrum's most recognized landmark and main attraction since debuting in 2002, according to a report from ecmag.com.
A Landmark With a Long History
The old Giant Wheel wasn't just a ride — it was a fixture of the shopping center's identity for more than two decades, according to a blog post describing its closure earlier this year ahead of the rebuild. Its octagonal, Andalusian-inspired gondolas were part of what made it distinctive, per ecmag.com's earlier reporting on the property. That same outlet also documented a 2015 lighting overhaul on the old wheel, when a five-week, $300,000 project swapped 12,500 standard lamps for more than 52,000 energy-efficient LED lights, producing what was reported as a 45 percent increase in energy savings.
The Spectrum SunWheel is the latest chapter for a shopping destination that has long leaned on the ride as a calling card. Each year, more than 17 million people visited Irvine Spectrum Center, according to the same ecmag.com report, underscoring just how many locals and tourists alike have ridden the wheel over the years in one form or another.
Where to Find It and When It's Running
The Spectrum SunWheel is located at 670 Spectrum Center Drive in Irvine, California, per the signalnewschattanooga.com release. The grand opening drew a crowd that included elected officials alongside an enthusiastic turnout of riders eager to be among the first up, according to that same account of the September 19 ceremony.
The Los Angeles Times reported that the wheel offers a 132-foot view of Irvine and beyond, giving riders a fresh vantage point over the region from the same spot where the Giant Wheel once stood for nearly a quarter century.
