All about Niagara Falls Winter Festival of Lights

(Photo via @winterfestivaloflights / Instagram)

Canada's biggest outdoor light festival, the Winter Festival of Lights returns this year with MORE enchantment and grandiosity! Get a chance to see 3 million lights on display at the most captivating Niagara Falls attraction. This spectacular event begins on November 12, 2022, and runs 101 sparkling nights all the way to February 20, 2023. The best part of this festival is that it's absolutely FREE of cost.

About the Festival

This 40th Niagara Falls Winter Festival of Lights is presented by Niagara Falls Tourism. Launched in 1982, this sparkling festival quickly became Canada's biggest illumination festival and the first-ever illumination festival in North America. Over a million sightseers come to experience the delights of this festival annually. 

(Photo via @winterfestivaloflights / Instagram)

 

You have a chance to see interactive, larger-than-life displays and family-friendly exhibits with trees wrapped in more than a million lights along the festival route of Niagara Parkway, from Queen Victoria Park through Dufferin Islands and into the tourism districts of Fallsview Boulevard, Clifton Hill, Lundy's Lane, and Downtown Niagara Falls.

 

The Main Attractions in the OPG Winter Festival of Lights

Experience breathtaking light displays in this year's theme of "energy" 

along the 8 km long festival route at Niagara Parks. Get the most out of this year's Ontario Power Generation Winter Festival of Lights by visiting these locations either by car or on foot: 

Queen Victoria Park

This gorgeous place is nothing short of a winter wonderland. A crown jewel of Niagara Parks, this park is lit up with luminous wildlife winter sets like the giant moose and polar bears during the OPG Winter Festival. While the radiant falls in the surroundings make for a perfect family experience!

(Photo via @phanieeeyak / Instagram)

 

Niagara Falls Illumination is something you can't miss on your route to the Niagara Falls Winter Festival of Lights! Every dusk, Niagara Falls is lit up with dazzling lights and a whole spectrum of colours. Sparkling lights are exhibited in the Illumination Tower bordering Queen Victoria Place; atop Table Rock Centre at the verge of Horseshoe Falls; and in the heart of the Niagara Gorge beyond the American Falls. 

(Photo via @winterfestivaloflights / Instagram)

 

Together, these wonderful light displays across these places make for a stunning view that will leave you awestruck. Custom colour illuminations are also displayed from time to time to support charitable causes. Get an intimate tour experience with a guided day and night combo tour where you’ll get to see most of these tourist attractions with a special focus on the Illumination Tower!

 

Table Rock Centre

Walk through astonishing light shows in the Table Rock Centre this holiday season for a picture or two with your family. Set against the exquisite background of Canadian Horseshoe Falls, this stop along the route of the Ontario Power Generation Winter Festival also has culinary places like the Table Rock House Restaurant where you can stop by to grab a bite. 

(Photo via @diary_of_a_torontonian / Instagram)

 

A perfect way to enjoy food at this restaurant is after you hop on a boat for a scenic Niagara Falls Night Tour. You’ll be famished after the exhilarating Falls boat ride and nothing short of a 3-course dinner at the Table Rock House Restaurant will satisfy you – which the tour covers!

 

Floral Showhouse

Niagara Parks Floral Showhouse is a must-see attraction in the Winter Festival of Lights due to its annual Poinsettia Show. This floral show has become a family holiday tradition of over 65 years exhibiting a glorious display of more than 1,400 poinsettias along with a beautiful medley of cyclamen, caladiums, azaleas, and the Winter Festival Special light displays. Nothing else captures the holiday spirit better than the oasis that is the Niagara Parks Floral Showhouse!

(Photo via @winterfestivaloflights / Instagram)

 

Dufferin Islands

Dufferin Islands are the major highlight of the Niagara Falls Winter Festival of Lights. Known for its serene year-round nature-themed displays, this place is perfect for an evening stroll or an afternoon walk. Along the festival route, you'll have a chance to be dazzled by lush trees wrapped up in lights and life-sized three-dimensional wildlife illuminations including Polar Bears, Moose, Deer, Geese, and Bison. 

(Photo via @winterfestivaloflights / Instagram)

Two-dimensional exhibits including Kissing Swans, Howling Wolves, and Bears Climbing Trees are also lit up across the Dufferin Islands ponds. Other lighting displays like a water fountain illuminated with a colourful array of lights and a bridge lit up with colour-altering DMX lights add to the exhilaration of the Winter Festival of Lights. If you enjoyed the exhibits, consider donating to the festival ambassadors in the spirit of the holiday season!

Niagara Parks Power Station

Niagara Parks Power Station is a picture-perfect stop at the Winter Festival of Lights. Be enchanted by the interactive exhibits and live entertainment light shows at this festive place! You can also stop by the Sandie Bellows Plaza facing the Niagara Parks Power Station for lively photo opportunities.

(Photo via @winterfestivaloflights / Instagram)

 

Housed inside the station is a thrilling sound and light show dubbed "Currents: Niagara's Power Transformed" which is a sensory experience that you can't miss! A beautiful amalgam of colourful sights and sounds, this attraction is accompanied by an even more gorgeous musical score that will surely reawaken your senses. 

Take a glimpse at the machinery of this power plant and watch the fantastic transformation of water to power in this interactive show. A fantastic way to get the most out of this power station is through a guided tour which offers a convenient pick-up and drop-off from anywhere in Niagara Falls.

 

Conclusion

There are many tourist attractions in Canada that center around family-friendly winter holidays, but Niagara Falls Winter Festival of Lights is one of a kind. Escape to the Winter Wonderland of Niagara Falls this holiday season to witness 3 million lights and more for 101 nights!