The Langerado Music Festival starts tomorrow in the Florida Everglades, with all your favorite jam bands--from Beastie Boys to Gov't Mule--making appearances. So what's the Ferris wheel connection? There'll be one on the festival grounds, giving bird's-eye views of the bands.

If you prefer your music a bit more proper, maybe a trip to Haydn's hometown would suit you better. Vienna, Austria's opera capital, also claims one of the world's first Ferris wheels, the Riesenrad. (That's German for "giant wheel.")

The ride, above, towers 200 feet into the air, and even showed up in the film noir classic "The Third Man." If you can't snag a seat on one of the Riesenrad's 15 gondolas, there's a smaller wheel on the outskirts of town at the Böhmischer Prater.

Related Stories:
· Langerado Music Festival [Official Site]
· Vienna Prater, Home of the Riesenrad [Official Site]
· Ferris Wheels coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Wikipedia]]]> pbb 2008-03-05T13:00:01-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/2/29/1104/58972

We've been getting excited about the Singapore Flyer for years now, and after this month's soft opening, it'll officially open tomorrow, March 1. But the the good Ferris wheel people of Singapore won't rest then, because they'll be preparing for the really proper Grand Official Singapore Flyer Launch, scheduled for April 15.

If you can't make any of the opening ceremonies, you can check on things by pulling up the Singapore Flyer webcam: When we checked, the wheel wasn't moving, and the weather suggested you wouldn't be able to see to Malaysia or Indonesia as promised.

Everyone wants a piece of the Singapore Flyer at the moment, with ASEAN politicians taking a ride this week, but the Singapore Flyer wants a piece of us too. They're promoting a What Wheel It Be? contest, where creative uses of a picture of the Singapore Flyer in any kind of work of art could win you some audio equipment. We're just hoping for an invite to the Grand Official Finally-It's-The-Last-Opening launch in April.

Related Stories:
· Giant Ferris Wheels Are the New Final Frontier [Jaunted]
· Singapore's Big Wheel [Jaunted]
· Flyin' the Singapore Flyer [Jaunted]]]> amandak 2008-02-29T09:15:01-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/2/28/113843/374

Work is underway in Dubai to build the world's second largest Ferris wheel. Now, normally we'd expect the emirate to be number one in the giant-tourist-attractions department, but Singapore swooped in with its massive Flyer before Dubai could get its wheel up.

Second place or not, this thing is still gonna be huge. At more than 400 feet high, it'll allow views of more than 30 miles, far enough to see all the other ridiculous structures in town.

If that's not ostentatious enough for you, get ready for this winter in New Jersey where a soda company has bought up the rights to a 287-foot wheel at the Meadowlands. The Pepsi Globe will feature 26 cars holding 20 riders each and will give panoramic views of the New York City skyline and the Hudson River from a new entertainment complex called Xanadu, above.

As always, plot your travels with our Ferris Wheels of the World Map.

Related Stories:
· Giant Ferris Wheels Are the New Final Frontier [Jaunted]
· Ferris Wheels coverage [Jaunted]]]> pbb 2008-02-28T11:39:06-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/2/20/10591/0795

Earlier this month, we told you about the Singapore Flyer, the super Ferris wheel that's now the world's biggest. But height alone doesn't make an awesome ride, or at least that's what they're hoping at Pacific Park in Santa Monica.

Starting May 8, workers will put in a new, high-tech wheel with all sorts of wild lighting effects. (Think LED hearts for V-Day, an American flag for Independence Day, a wreath for Christmas.) The new 90-foot ride should be ready in time for the unofficial start of summer on Memorial Day.

Given how hot the Ferris wheel competition is getting worldwide, we figured we better map out your best options. If your top trips are all about getting high, here's where to go.

Related Stories:
· New Ferris Wheel at Santa Monica Pier [LAT Deal Blog]
· Pacific Park [Official Site]
· Ferris Wheels of the World Map [Jaunted]

[Photo: vgm8383]]]> pbb 2008-02-20T11:19:09-05:00 34.010073 -118.49653 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/