The Reykjavík Wheel has arrived and we have thoughts

It was back in 2017 that the idea of a ferris wheel being constructed in Reykjavík was first floating around. At that time, London-based Icelandic designer Marta Jonsson proposed that a massive ferris wheel akin to the London Eye be erected in the city. At one point that same year Marta, ever the innovator, was batting around the idea of the ferris wheel — which would stand 120 metres tall (for reference, Hallgrímskirkja is 74 metres tall) — being not round, but heart shaped.

Not only was public opinion in the Grapevine’s Facebook comments littered with haters commenting along the lines of “Stop destroying your town with ‘attractions’ no one needs,” and “How about spending some money on infrastructure instead of turning Reykjavík into a circus?” the residents of Reykjavík’s central Miðbær neighbourhood strongly expressed their disapproval of the idea.

The ferris wheel proposal was one of the projects put up for public referendum in the 2017 round of Hverfið Mitt (My Neighbourhood), a democracy project from the City of Reykjavík where residents submit ideas for projects that they want to see become a reality in their neighbourhoods. Through the project, residents vote for projects they would like to see developed in their neighbourhood, from improving green spaces and repairing crosswalks to installing play structures and outdoor exercise equipment.

Nobody wanted a ferris wheel.

So you’re saying you do want a ferris wheel?

Considering the history of the conversation, it was surprising to see ads from the City of Reykjavík in March of this year announcing that they were looking for a partner to erect and operate a ferris wheel on the central Miðbakki wharf — the waterside strip of the harbour along Geirsgata. The city was plugging the proposed development as “an exciting addition to the diverse city life.”

Fast forward a couple months and it was announced that Taylors Tivoli Iceland, a travelling carnival, had secured the partnership. The Reykjavík Wheel officially opened for business on June 17, as Icelanders celebrated the 80th anniversary of their independence. Reykjavík Mayor Einar Þorsteinsson embarked on the maiden voyage, posting selfies on Reykjavík’s social media channels of his grand adventure.

So I tried it

As a longtime resident of 101, my thoughts about the addition of a ferris wheel to Reykjavík’s harbourscape — and the continued transformation of our city centre into a carnival for tourist consumption — shouldn’t be a surprise. I wasn’t for it in 2017, I wasn’t for it when I saw the city’s call for proposals and I was even less for it when I learned that it would be erected on the site of a bike track that neighbourhood kids very much enjoyed.

Under the impression that democracy had spoken when residents harpooned the idea of a ferris wheel in 2017, the thought of a pay-to-play carnival attraction being erected where free-to-use public space already existed just felt wrong.

Still, on an abnormally sunny afternoon, 10 days into the Reykjavík Wheel’s summer run, I gave it a try. Maybe a couple rotations on the wheel would change my mind.

It was a ferris wheel, alright. Unlike the London Eye 2.0 that Marta had envisioned, the Reykjavík Wheel is clearly a temporary feature. It’s an open-compartment ride, the likes of which you’d see packed onto the back of a truck and hauled from town to town on the summer county fair circuit. Given that the compartments are open-sided, people’s concerns about wind appear valid. Even on the beautiful day on which I rode, it was very cold and windy at the top.

However, the view over the city centre and toward Hallgrímskirkja in particular was beautiful. Getting a birds-eye view of Reykjavík’s iconic church had previously been reserved for those visiting Perlan’s viewing deck, so the vantage point from the Reykjavík Wheel was lovely — in one direction. Since the wheel has been erected right beside a docking point for massive cruise ships, even from the highest point of the trip and standing up in my compartment, the view of Mount Esja and the glistening architecture of Harpa is obstructed.

For one adult and one child to ride (a ride is two times around the wheel), I was charged 5.000 ISK (US$ 36 / 34 euro). No other rider boarded or even approached the wheel during our ride. Oddly, the website for the Reykjavík wheel lists the price for one adult and one child as 4.000 ISK — I guess ethics weren’t one of the factors Reykjavík took into account when picking their operator of choice.

The verdict

The Reykjavík Wheel would be a welcome permanent attraction to the Reykjavík Family Park and Zoo in Laugardalur, where endless turns on the rides are included in the modest entrance price. But as a seasonal instalment on the harbourfront — one that is prohibitively expensive and that comes at the expense of recreational infrastructure that already existed and was free for all to use — it’s hard to see the erection of the ferris wheel as anything other than a shortsighted decision made by someone in City Hall who didn’t bother considering the opinions or wants of those who live here. Now we have what has thus far shown itself to be an unpopular attraction that has more people saying “why?” than “yay!”

NB: Following the publication of this article, operators of the Reykjavík Wheel informed The Grapevine the prices listed on their website are “pre-booking” rates. At the time of our ride on the Reykjavík Wheel, there was no text indicating that rates would be 25% higher at the ticket office or that the rates posted online were discounted pre-booking prices.