Christmas Village is adding a Ferris wheel

Christmas Village will return on Thanksgiving, with a new area that includes a 65-foot Ferris wheel.

Known as the Wawa Holiday Plaza, Christmas Village’s largest expansion will take over the north side of the City Hall plaza. There, attendees can get a bird’s-eye view of Philly’s municipal Christmas tree on the Christmas Village Ferris Wheel for $4 per ticket.

The newly added area will also feature dozens of additional vendors, as well as a kid-friendly Christmas Village Holiday Train, which loops around the northwest corner of the Wawa Holiday Plaza for $3 per ticket.

The Wawa Holiday Plaza serves as a fourth Christmas Village location, joining the usual festivities in the German-style Christmas market in LOVE Park, the Made in Philadelphia Holiday Market at Dilworth Park, and the Acme Winter Memories area in the City Hall Courtyard. Returning attractions also include the Christmas Village Carousel inside the courtyard, as well as “The Present” — a 27-foot-tall, walk-through present that has more than 100,000 lights — in LOVE Park.

This year’s village will be open from Thanksgiving through Christmas Eve, with a preview weekend scheduled for Nov. 23 and 24. Hours will be 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Christmas Village will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Thanksgiving, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Christmas Eve.

The annual holiday attraction is among the most popular in Philadelphia, with organizers estimating that Christmas Village attracted more than 800,000 people last year.