Santa Monica Pier Ferris Wheel debuts high-tech makeover

SANTA MONICA, Calif. -- The new-and-improved Santa Monica Pier Ferris Wheel rolled out its brand new lights Thursday night, sparking excitement from many in the Southland.

The wheel went dark earlier this month so crews could set up a $1 million LED lighting system. All of the 174,000 bulbs were switched out for the high-tech makeover.

The new system features lights with greater color depth, higher resolution and faster frames per second.

The debut, accompanied by fireworks, happened on Pacific Park's 20th birthday at the Santa Monica Pier.