As of this Thursday morning, numerous trucks have arrived on the Grand'place with the parts which will be used to assemble the Ferris wheel, a Christmas tradition in Lille. It will be accessible to the public from next Wednesday.
The Christmas spirit is slowly beginning to inhabit Lille. On the Grand'place, the parts to assemble the Ferris wheel arrived since Wednesday evening and its installation began this Thursday, November 14.
The ride open from November 20
Around 7 a.m., several trucks occupied the place with on board all the parts that will make up the ride, which rises to 50 meters high. An hour later, the many workers present began assembly.
“We start with the base, quite important because it must not sag. We start to go up in the air with the axis, then after the spokes one by one and until they make all around. And then, we will install the nacelles”, explains Jan Vand Der Honing, responsible for assembly for decades at the microphone of BFM Grand Lille.
Once in place, preparation for the festivities will continue. “Then we will have to do a little cleaning and we will tackle the Christmas decorations. It will take two to three days to install because we have eight decoration semi-trailers, including the big tree,” adds the manager.
From next Wednesday, November 20, visitors will be able to climb the Ferris wheel until January. To take a tour, you will have to pay 7 euros for adults and 5 euros for children under 1.40 meters.
Julie Michel with Martin Regley
