I remember the first time when I saw Sziget Eye in Erzsébet Square. I was in a hurry to meet the girls before the hen party of a friend and I really wanted to arrive in time. But after catching a glimpse of the monumental Ferris wheel in Erzsébet Square, I had to slack up, then stop and watch it work for a little while. It was so big, so impressive... I haven’t had the adventurousness to try a Ferris wheel before but it was the moment when I felt that I really want to go for a ride.

That wasn’t the day for it, because I was in a hurry, as I said before (and I was late actually). But some weeks later my boyfriend took me for a walk and surprised me with two tickets for the Ferris wheel. It was even bigger and even more fascinating than I thought before. Well, the three rounds we could have enjoyed ended in a couple of minutes but the experience is for forever.

We have talked about the possibility of a second round but then decided to wait for spring with that. We didn’t know that for this spring, a new Ferris wheel will arrive to Erzsébet Square, to replace the old one. The new Ferris wheel will be even bigger and more impressive, with air-conditioned cabins and the possibility to work in summer- and wintertime, as well.

Photo: MTI / Szigetváry Zsolt

The change is not surprising for those who heard approximately one year ago Károly Gerendai (one of the owners of Óriáskerék Kft.) saying that they would place an own Ferris wheel instead of the previous leased one.

The businessman – who owns Sziget Fesztivál as well – talked about the negotiations with a Turkish company about the purchase of a big wheel and also about the possibility to get a 5-year-long land use right from the Budapest local government. He added that the Ferris wheel would cost more than 4 million EUR (more than 1.2 billion HUF).

Bigger Ferris wheel, bigger prices?

Some people think that the size increase of the wheel will also raise the ticket prices. Well, we don’t know this yet but we can tell you the prices from last year. A three laps round did cost 2400 HUF (8 EUR) for adults and 1500 HUF (5 EUR) for children. Some tourists think that it is a little bit too much for 8-10 minutes, others think that it is quite acceptable, and there are some who have tried the Ferris wheel – they say that everyone should try it once.

Watch this video about the construction of the old Ferris wheel in Erzsébet Square:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xD0OMX0A3F0