A Local’s Guide to the Winter Festival of Lights in Niagara Falls
If you think visiting Niagara Falls is only worthwhile during the summer months, you’d be surprised to learn how magical it can be during the winter! The Winter Festival of Lights in Niagara Falls is Canada’s largest lights festival – and it’s entirely free to see!
Celebrating 42 years in 2024, the Niagara Falls Winter Festival of Lights (WFOL) is running from November 16, 2024 – January 5, 2025.
Experience the winter magic in Niagara Falls on this enchanting 8 km journey along the Niagara Parkway, Fallsview Boulevard, Queen Victoria Park, and through Dufferin Islands! This festival transforms Niagara Falls with animated, larger-than-life displays, light projections, and glowing installations.
That means you have 51 nights to see amazing light displays and twinkling lights – 3 million lights – to be exact, as well as a beautiful Falls Illumination display! Plus, if you visit on Friday or Saturday during the festival, you can also catch the stunning fireworks display at 8:00 pm.
One of my favourite parts of the WFOL is the Niagara Falls Hot Chocolate Trail, where 25 restaurants and bars craft 36 different hot chocolate drinks (adult versions included!) to try.
So bundle up and get ready to experience the Winter Festival of Lights – a must see if you’re visiting Niagara Falls during November and December! Stroll through the parks, drive the festival route, or enjoy these sparkling displays from local restaurants and hotels with a view of the Falls —the holiday spirit is all around!
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Why You Should Plan a Visit During the Winter Festival of Lights
The Winter Festival of Lights has been lighting up Niagara Falls since 1982 and has grown into Canada’s largest illumination festival. What started as simple light displays has transformed over the years, now including festive markets, live entertainment, and special events across its various displays.
Originally created to extend the tourism season in Niagara Falls—which used to be mainly a summer hotspot—this incredible festival now attracts over a million visitors each year, bringing warmth and excitement to the chilly months!
With displays for all ages, the Winter Festival of Lights gets bigger every year. Today, it features over 75 light displays, dozens of trees wrapped in glowing lights, a 40-foot tunnel of light, a whimsical castle, and much more.
The festival turns Niagara Falls into a winter wonderland, and it’s especially magical when the snow starts to fall! From Clifton Hill to Dufferin Islands (my favourite spot!), millions of lights and animated displays fill the area, creating a dazzling display of colour and holiday spirit.
Dufferin Islands Display
My absolute favourite part of the WFOL has to be the Dufferin Islands display!
The area is packed with countless lighting displays, from twinkling lights wrapped around towering trees to larger-than-life sculptures of iconic Canadian wildlife, like moose, polar bears, geese, wolves, a woolly mammoth, and a massive Inukshuk!
While most visitors opt to drive through Dufferin Islands to take in the magic, you can also park and explore on foot, giving you a chance to soak it all in and snap some fantastic photos! Although the trails close for winter, you can still wander close to many of the displays along the roadside.
Sparkling Winter Lights Falls Illumination
Niagara Falls will come alive during the WFOL with the stunning “Sparkling Winter Lights” illumination show, inspired by Canada’s winter wonderland.
This vibrant spectacle features a variety of scenes from gentle snowfall to icy blizzards, the frozen Falls, and mesmerizing northern lights dancing across snowy landscapes.
Each evening, the iconic Horseshoe Falls and American Falls will light up, celebrating the natural beauty of the region.
As part of the regular Falls illumination, this special show will project on the Falls three times an hour at 6:00 pm, 7:00 pm, and 8:00 pm, adding a dazzling 6-minute display to the Winter Festival of Lights.
Hot Chocolate Trail
One of the highlights of Niagara Falls Winter Festival of Lights has to be the Hot Chocolate Trail – it’s certainly one of mine!!
This self-guided journey takes you to bars and restaurants all around the Falls.
Along the way, you’ll discover chocolatey delights crafted by chefs, mixologists, chocolatiers, and bakers from across Niagara Falls. This year there are 25 different stops and a whopping 36 different drinks to try – including some adult versions spiked with alcohol! There’s something to warm everyone up!
Imagine strolling through Niagara Falls at night, surrounded by twinkling lights, while savouring a cozy cup of hot chocolate.
Fireworks at the Winter Festival of Lights
The fireworks during the Winter Festival of Lights are scheduled for 26 nights, giving you plenty of chances to see this magical display.
November: 16th, 22nd-23rd, 29th-30th at 8:00pm
December: 6th-7th, 13th-14th, 20th-21st, 27th-31st at 8:00pm
December 31st (New Year’s Eve) at midnight
January: 1st-5th at 8:00pm
There are plenty of places to catch the fireworks display in Niagara Falls, and many hotels even offer great views. But for the best experience, I recommend heading to the promenade directly across from Queen Victoria Park. It’s as close as you can get, with clear, wide-open views of the fireworks—definitely my top pick for an unforgettable fireworks show in Niagara Falls!
Free Photo with Santa
On select nights in December, you can swing by Queen Victoria Place on the Niagara Parkway to snap a free photo with Santa!
It’s a perfect chance to keep the holiday tradition alive – just stop by, meet Santa, and take home a complimentary digital photo to remember the moment.
When: December 6th & 7th, 13th & 14th, and 20th & 21st from 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Important Things to Know About the Winter Festival of Lights
How long are the lights on for at the Winter Festival of Lights?
The Winter Festival of Lights in Niagara Falls is from November 16th, 2024 – January 5th, 2025. You can see the lights starting at 5:00 pm until midnight every day.
Can you walk the Winter Festival of Lights?
The stretch of lights is 8 km, so while it’s technically walkable I wouldn’t advise it.
It’s cold and dark during this time of year and won’t really make for an enjoyable experience. If you arrive early, and park anywhere from Clifton Hill, Table Rock, or Dufferin Islands, you can hop on the WeGo. You can either purchase a 24-hour ticket, or if you purchase a Niagara Parks attraction pass, it’s included in your pass. During the winter, the bus arrives every 30 minutes and stops at various points along the Niagara Parkway to major attraction points.
However, the one walk I would recommend though – if you want to – is the walk from Table Rock Welcome Centre to Clifton Hill. We’ve done this and there are a lot of fun displays in between and it only takes 30 minutes (one way) to do.
One of my favourite things to do is drive through the light displays at the Dufferin Islands and along the parkway. You don’t have to get out of your vehicle at all to enjoy the displays! We’ve visited on some cold, snowy, and rainy nights. It’s a great way to experience the festival without having to get bundled up!
Parking at the Winter Festival of Lights
The main parking option for most visitors to Niagara Falls is the lot at the Table Rock Welcome Centre, which charges a flat rate of $35 per day.
However, if you hold a Niagara Parks Annual Parking Pass (available for $45/year and covering two vehicles in the same household), you can park here at no extra cost.
Keep in mind they’ve changed the parking pass this year which expires every December – so unless you are visiting Niagara Falls for a few days in November or December, it’s not worth purchasing just for a visit to the Winter Festival of Lights.
If not, you’ve got alternatives! Park at the Skylon Tower for $20, find various lots along Clifton Hill, check out independent lots nearby, or opt for Dufferin Islands at $8 per hour if you’d like to explore the displays up close.
For those staying in the Fallsview hotel area, the Falls Incline Railway provides easy access down to Table Rock. From there, you can head left to see displays near Queen Victoria Park, or turn right to either catch the WeGo bus or take a scenic, 20-minute walk to Dufferin Islands.
When is the best time to visit the Winter Festival of Lights?
One of my favourite experiences is visiting the Winter Festival of Lights in December as the holiday season approaches.
On weeknights, you’ll find the atmosphere much more peaceful, making it easier to navigate the Dufferin Islands and the Niagara Parkway. Still, there’s something special about watching others embrace the holiday spirit in Niagara Falls while taking in the breathtaking millions of lights that illuminate the area!
Weekends are just as enjoyable, but be ready for a livelier crowd. If you’re there, don’t miss the fireworks display—it’s the perfect way to cap off your evening!
The festival sees its highest attendance during the week leading up to Christmas, as well as on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
If there’s been recent snowfall, expect a bit more traffic, as the combination of the light displays and fresh snow creates a truly magical atmosphere!
P.S. This is a great time to visit some popular attractions in Niagara Falls, like Journey Behind the Falls or the Niagara Parks Power Station. Crowds will be less busy than during the summer and it will give you a unique perspective if you visit them after dark!
Is the Niagara Festival of Lights free?
The Winter Festival of Lights is one of the best things to do in Niagara Falls if you’re visiting during this time of the year. It’s entirely free to see.
Upon exiting Dufferin Islands, there are volunteers collecting donations – should you wish to support the efforts of those who helped create and maintain the WFOL! If you enjoyed your experience, consider donating $5-$10 – but this is all optional.
Another amazing creative winter display is at the Annual Poinsettia Show at the Floral Showhouse. This is a paid attraction, but it’s absolutely stunning and will instantly elevate your spirits and is the place to come to feel the magic of the season.
The Winter Festival of Lights is always an annual highlight for us. The amount of work put into putting up these lighting displays is remarkable, and it’s an added bonus that it’s free! So bundle up, grab your loved ones, and prepare yourselves for a memorable time viewing these dazzling lights and sipping hot chocolate in Niagara Falls!