What it takes to build Coachella's most recognizable icon
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Scroll through Instagram any time in April and you’ll see a stream of photos that are instantly recognizable as being from the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival thanks to the iconic backdrop of a Ferris wheel against a desert mountainscape.Even though it’s not a permanent structure at the Empire Polo Club, the attraction, officially named La Grande XL, makes the journey to Indio every year on 20 semitrucks, according to owner and operator Ray Cammack Shows.It is assembled by 10 team members over five days with the use of a 70-ton crane.
Music Follow along for live updates from Coachella’s final day as Karol G closes out the main stage.See photos and read about artists like FKA Twigs, Foster the People and more.Ben Pickett, vice president at Ray Cammack Shows, said the La Grande XL wheel, with 36 air-conditioned gondolas, made its debut in 2017, replacing the original La Grande Wheel.
He said that hundreds of thousands of festivalgoers have ridden the attractions over the last 15 years.La Grande XL travels around the country to events including the recent Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo as well as the L.A.County Fair and Orange County Fair.
However, there is one element that is unique to Coachella and the Stagecoach Country Music Festival — a custom logo of a palm tree and a roadrunner at the center of the wheel that light up when the sun goes down.It was designed and built exclusively for the desert festivals.
Music From Coachella’s humble beginnings of a desert festival into becoming a global force in pop culture, revisit iconic moments with Daft Punk, Beyoncé, the Coachella astronaut and everything in between.“Because it is only used for Coachella and Stagecoach, the sign remains in Southern California when not in use.Altogether, the wheel features more than half a million LED lights and installing the logo is a detailed process that takes our team appr...