In total, the Vegas High Roller has a 36-color palette that can be combined in multiple permutations, using 2,000 LED lights, cued to come on at sunset. According to Caesars Entertainment, the High Roller has several predetermined color combinations, like the red, white, and blue display used on such holidays as the Fourth of July (also employed in commemoration of the recent terror attacks in Paris). When Prince died, the High Roller went to an all-purple color scheme. For St. Patrick's Day, it turns green. And when it's Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the High Roller switches to pink.
"We can also take full manual control of the color selection but how they 'play' around the wheel is all handled by the lighting computers," says Caesars spokeswoman Stella Moon. The colors can even "race" around the perimeter of the wheel.
At 550 feet high, the High Roller is the tallest observation wheel in the world (technically, neither it nor its contemporary counterparts are true Ferris wheels), elbowing out the Singapore Flyer by nine feet. Both wheels were designed by Arup Engineering. Seven million, three hundred thousand pounds of steel went into its construction, along with 112 cables. Components were sourced from eight countries, from China to Italy. The 28, 22-ton gondolas (down from an originally planned 32) are 21 feet in diameter and boast eight video screens, as though the view from the High Roller weren't sufficient diversion. Each also contains an iPod docking station, if you feel like having a musical soundtrack to your half-hour ride (the High Roller rotates at one foot per second).
