The London Eye celebrates it's 25th Birthday!

Somehow, The London Eye is turning 25 on 9th March 2025! 25! Where have those 2.5 decades gone?! What started as an entry for a 1993 competition aimed at celebrating the millennium has now become an integral part of London’s New Year's Eve celebrations and a globally recognised symbol of the city. I took a photo of Big Ben the other day and it had the London Eye in the background and it felt like the photo was all the more iconic because of it.

As the iconic attraction marks this milestone, the team at The London Eye are sharing 25 lesser-known facts that highlight its unique place at the heart of London...

1. The idea for the London Eye was born in 1993, when architects Julia Barfield and David Marks submitted their design for The Millennial Competition, organized by the Architecture Foundation and the Sunday Times. The challenge was to create a landmark for the upcoming millennium. While the competition didn’t have an official winner, Barfield and Marks persevered with their vision, and the wheel was completed in 2000.
2. Originally planned as a temporary structure, the London Eye was intended to stand on the Thames for just five years. However, after receiving a permanent license in July 2002, it was officially established as a long-term fixture in 2024.
3. In the same year that the London Eye was completed, Coldplay released their debut album, the Nokia 3100 became the best-selling phone, and trends like shiny pants and chunky shoes were in full swing. Meanwhile, the public was enthralled by the likes of Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston.
4. Also in 1993, Big Brother made its debut on British television and All Saints were topping the charts.
5. The London Eye inspired a wave of similar observation wheels around the world (34 infact) including the creation of the Singapore Flyer.
6. Since it officially opened to the public on 9th March 2000, more than 85 million people have taken in the stunning views across London.
7. It’s become a must-visit destination for international tourists, with Americans making up a significant portion of the visitors, comprising one in ten last year.
8. Each rotation takes around 30 minutes, with the capsules traveling at a leisurely pace of 26 cm per second (about 0.9 km/h or 0.6 mph). This slow rotation speed allows passengers to board and disembark without the need for the wheel to stop.
9. There are 32 capsules on the London Eye, one for each of London’s boroughs. However, for superstitious reasons, the number 13 is skipped, meaning capsules are numbered 1 to 33 instead.
10. The original design for the London Eye was intended to be 500 feet tall with 60 capsules, each representing a minute in an hour. However, due to planning restrictions and cost factors, the design was scaled back.
11. At 135 meters (443 feet) tall, the London Eye holds the title of the world’s largest cantilevered observation wheel. That’s equivalent to stacking 64 red telephone boxes on top of each other.
12. While the Eiffel Tower is around 2.44 times taller than the London Eye, and the Empire State Building stands about 2.82 times higher, the London Eye still provides some of the most impressive views in the world.
13. The London Eye can carry up to 800 passengers per rotation, the same as 11 London red double-decker buses.
14. Weighing 2,100 tonnes, the London Eye is as heavy as 1,272 black cabs.
15. The central spindle alone weighs 350 tonnes—three times the weight of a blue whale.
16. Every three years, the London Eye undergoes a full repaint, requiring roughly 5,000 liters of paint to cover the structure—adding up to about 40,000 liters of paint over the past 25 years.
17. The London Eye operates entirely on renewable energy and uses 100% LED lighting, a change that has cut electricity consumption (and associated carbon emissions) by 69% since installation.
18. Over the years, the London Eye has become a symbol of celebration, often lighting up for events such as Pride, Lunar New Year, Diwali, Eid, Chanukah, and more.
19. From the top of the London Eye on a clear day, you can see as far as 40 kilometers, with views stretching all the way to Windsor Castle.
20. To date, more than 8,000 marriage proposals have taken place high above London on the Eye!
21. In the past 25 years, only 11 people have stood on top of the London Eye, including famous names like Geoff Hurst and Mo Farah—fewer than the number of astronauts who have walked on the moon.
22. Laura and Jason Kenny, the UK’s most decorated Olympic couple, became the first pair to stand atop the London Eye at the same time, sending their "Wheelie Good Luck" message to athletes heading to the 2024 Olympics.
23. The London Eye has rotated backward on only two occasions—once in 2019 and again in 2024—both times marking the end of British Summer Time.
24. Numerous celebrities have visited the London Eye over the years, including Kim Kardashian, Kate Moss, Hugh Jackman, and the Prince and Princess of Wales, William and Kate.
25. The London Eye has also made appearances in numerous films and TV shows, such as Mission Impossible, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Doctor Who, Paddington 3, and Sonic the Hedgehog 3.

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