25 fun facts to celebrate London Eye’s 25 years

The London Eye turns 25 on 9th March 2025. From its start as a competition entry to celebrate the millennium in 1993, to forming the centrepiece of London’s New Years Eve celebrations annually, the landmark has become an iconic symbol representing London.

In reflection on a quarter-century of breathtaking views, unforgettable moments, and millions of visitors, the London Eye shares 25 little-known facts about the iconic attraction that sits at the heart of England’s capital.

1. The original concept for London Eye all started as an entry to The Millennial Competition in 1993, organised by the Architecture Foundation with the Sunday Times. It challenged people to come up with a landmark to celebrate the Millennium. Although no one won, the architect duo Julia Barfield and David Marks believed in their idea and made it a reality in the year 2000.
2. The London Eye was originally planned as a temporary structure; built to stand on the banks of the Thames for around five years. In July 2002, it was granted a permanent license and in 2024 it became a permanent structure.
3. In the same year that the London Eye was erected, Coldplay released their debut album, the Nokia 310 became the best-selling phone of the year, shiny pants and chunky shoes were in fashion, and people became obsessed with Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston.
4. Brits were enjoying All Saints’ chart-topping hits “Black Coffee” and “Pure Shores” and watching Big Brother for the first time ever.
5. The creation of the London Eye inspired the construction of 34 similar observation wheels around the world including the Singapore Flyer.
6. On 9th March 2000, the London Eye officially opened to the public. Since then, over 85 million people have journeyed across London’s skyline on the London Eye.
7. The attraction is a must-visit destination amongst visitors from all over the world, with Americans leading the international charts with 1 in 10 guests visiting from across the pond last year.
8. Each rotation lasts approximately 30 minutes, meaning that a capsule travels at a stately 26cm per second, or 0.9km (0.6 miles) per hour – twice as fast as a tortoise sprinting; this slow rate of rotation allows passengers to step on and off without the wheel having to stop.
9. The London Eye has 32 capsules in total, one for each of the London boroughs. For superstitious reasons, they are numbered 1 to 33, with capsule 13 left out for good luck.
10. Originally, the structure was designed to stand 500 ft tall and have 60 capsules, representing 60 minutes but was redesigned due to planning and cost considerations.
11. The London Eye is the world’s largest cantilevered observation wheel at 135 metres (443ft) high. That’s 64 red telephone boxes stacked on top of each other.
12. The Eiffel Tower is approximately 2.44 times the height of the London Eye, while the Empire State Building is about 2.82 times taller. Compared to its international friends, the London Eye may be shorter, but it still offers some of the most stunning views in the world.
13. The London Eye can carry 800 passengers per rotation, equivalent to 11 London red double decker busloads.
14. The London Eye weighs 2100 tonnes – that’s as heavy as 1,272 black cabs.
15. The spindle in the middle of the wheel weighs 350 tonnes – that’s three times as heavy as a Blue Whale.
16. The London Eye receives a full paint refresh every three years and requires an estimated 5,000 litres to cover the entirety of the structure – that’s roughly the 40,000 litres of paint used over the last 25 years.
17. The London Eye is 100% fuelled by renewable energy and has 100% LED lighting which, when installed reduced electricity consumption (and associated greenhouse gas emissions) by 69%.
18. The London Eye often marks moments of celebration or remembrance for Londoners. Over the years, hundreds of light-ups have taken place to celebrate cultural events such as Pride, Lunar New Year, Diwali, Eid, Chanukah, and more.
19. On a clear day, you can see around 40km from the top of the London Eye – as far as Windsor Castle, where Kings Charles and Queen Camilla tied the knot.
20. Over 8,000 proposals have taken place high above the city on the iconic London Eye.
21. Only 11 people have stood atop the Eye in the past 25 years including Geoff Hurst and Mo Farah, that’s less than the number of people who have walked on the moon.
22. Britain’s most decorated Olympic couple, Laura and Jason Kenny, made history by becoming the first duo to stand atop the London Eye at the same time as they wished a “Wheelie Good Luck” to British athletes for the 2024 Olympic Games.
23. The London Eye has only rotated backward twice in history, once in 2019 and again in 2024, to mark the end of British Summer Time.
24. Thousands of celebrities have visited the London Eye including like Kim Kardashian, Kate Moss, Hugh Jackman to royal favourites Prince and Princess of Wales, William and Kate have visited the Eye over the years.
25. The London Eye has been featured in hundreds of movies and TV shows including Mission Impossible, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Doctor Who, Paddington 3 and Sonic the Hedgehog 3.

In celebration of the 25 years, the London Eye has commissioned a short film “Turning 25: London’s Eye” which includes heartfelt stories from Julia Barfield, architect of the London Eye, and British actors David Harewood and Russell Tovey. This film is not only a celebration of the iconic landmark, but a love letter to the city it has come to represent.

The film will be released to the public ahead of the official anniversary on Sunday 9th March on 6th March and will be available to watch on London Eye’s YouTube Channel.