London Eye celebrates 10th birthday today

The iconic London Eye, the largest Ferris wheel across Europe, has turned a decade old today.

As part of the celebrations today, all visitors to the observation wheel will enjoy a free champagne glass and a light show, reports Sky News.

The attraction, also known as the Millennium Wheel, was unveiled in March 2000 and has given rides to more than 36 million people, having turned over 45,000 times.

The wheel 32 has capsules, one for each of the London boroughs. They are numbered up to 33, with capsule 13 left out for good luck.

The 443ft high wheel was initially going to be on the South Bank only until 2005 and was expected to attract around 1.5 million visitors annually.

But leaving behind all expectation 3.7 million people visit it each year after which the lease has been extended to 2025.

Its patrons claim the modern icon stands in the league of heritage sites such as India's Taj Mahal and the Statue of Liberty in the US as one of the most popular attractions in the world.

Spanish, the French, the Italians and the Germans have been the most frequent visitors on the Eye. Outside Europe, the most frequent visitors are Americans.

It has hosted 433 weddings, including 21 civil partnerships, and witnessed more than 3,000 celebrity visits.

Model Kate Moss has had 25 rotations on the Eye, while American actress Jessica Alba has gone around 31 times.