Visiting the Niagara Falls Winter Festival of Lights
The largest festival of its kind in Canada, the Niagara Falls Winter Festival of Lights is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year and they’re pulling out all the stops, illuminating those crisp winter nights with dozens of unique displays and other activities.
Running until February 20, 2023, this year’s festival is introducing all-new installations, such as nature-inspired light displays over Horseshoe Falls and the Hot Chocolate Trail, a self-guided tour of the very best spots to grab a cup of cocoa and a treat across the city.
Free to the public, hitting the Niagara Falls Winter Festival of Lights is the best way to celebrate the holiday season and beyond.
The Best Displays at the Niagara Falls Winter Festival of Lights 2023
The Niagara Falls Winter Festival of Lights features three million lights across over 75 unique displays in locations throughout the city, including the Niagara Parkway, Dufferin Islands, and Clifton Hill. These installations range from the magical Royal Promenade, home to the Fairytale Village and the Princess and the Knight, to the Enchanted Forest and its towering sculptures of moose and deer made out of lights and scaffolding. Drop by the Frosted Falls to see a life-size gingerbread surrounded by lighted pine trees or head to the Great Canadian North to see light sculptures based on iconic images of Canadiana.
Niagara Falls Winter Festival of Lights Hot Chocolate Trail
Stay warm while exploring all the incredible lighting displays the festival has to offer with the Niagara Falls Winter Festival of Lights Hot Chocolate Trail. This self-guided tour features 17 stops each featuring delicious hot chocolate, cocoa, and plenty of other delicious concoctions. In addition to your standard hot chocolate, some of the chocolatiers on the tour offer special libations just for adults, like the aptly named “Dirty Snowman” and the Velvet Kiss.
Sparkling Winter Lights Over the Falls
To celebrate the festival’s 40th season, a brand new “Sparkling Winter Lights” display will be illuminating the American and Canadian Horseshoe Falls with astonishing exhibitions inspired by the austere beauty of winter. From gently falling snowflakes to furious blizzards and the graceful tundra to the splendour of the Aurora Borealis, this celebration of natural beauty will adorn the falls each evening of the festival from 6:00 – 8:00pm.
Niagara Falls Winter Festival of Lights Fireworks
Throughout the festival, the skies above the falls will be lit up with 40 nights of fantastic fireworks shows! From Christmas Eve until New Year’s Eve, almost every day of the holiday season will feature fireworks shows crowning the illuminated cascades of the iconic Horseshoe Falls.