You’ll never guess why London’s iconic Ferris wheel just turned purple (May 2024)
Spotted London's massive observation wheel glowing an bizarre purple hue these past few nights? We've got the scoop on the unexpected reason behind the curious colour-changing spectacle.
London Was Buzzing
Locals and tourists alike were left scratching their heads when the London Eye's 443-foot tall structure started radiating vibrant shades of violet after sundown. The mystifying purple illumination quickly became the talk of the town.
One observer took this beautiful shot of the purple London Eye from the terrace of the House of Commons!
An Elaborate Awareness Campaign?
Some speculated the eye-catching display must be part of an awareness push for a particular cause or health condition represented by the colour purple. A few theorised maybe it was celebrating an upcoming holiday or special event.
The Wildest Theories
Alien invasion?
Promoting the Prince Musical Purple Rain’s West End debut?
Barney’s revenge?
Others let their imaginations run even wilder. We overheard whispers it could be a signal that London was being invaded... by aliens! Yes, some joked the otherworldly purple glow meant extraterrestrials were attempting first contact by taking over one of London's most famous landmarks - as happened in the first episode of Doctor Who.
The Real Reason Is Shockingly Random
But the actual explanation behind the puzzling purple makeover has nothing to do with aliens, holidays or health causes. As bizarre as it may seem, the London Eye's operator turned the colossal Ferris wheel purple to... promote the launch of a corporate report!
Putting On A Colourful Show
You see, Merlin Entertainments, the company running the iconic London attraction, recently released its first social impact report. To grab people's attention for the launch, Merlin partnered with an organisation called the Purpose Coalition, whose brand colour just happens to be... purple!
Painting The Town Purple
So Merlin decided to turn the massive London Eye structure into one big glowing purple billboard to signal its embrace of sustainable, socially-conscious business practices. By bathing the famous ferris wheel in the Purpose Coalition's vivid violet shade, the company put on a colourful show while unveiling its new purposeful initiatives.
A Purposeful Marketing Ploy
While lighting up a city landmark might seem like an unorthodox way to promote a corporate sustainability report, the eye-catching purple stunt undoubtedly turned heads and got people talking and wondering about Merlin's "purpowful" motives.
We’ve managed to obtain this photo from inside Merlin Entertainment’s social impact launch - it turns out that in May 2024 the London Eye was lit up in purple as part of this event!
