Huge festival of lights–complete with hot chocolate trail–set to kick off in Niagara Falls

Don’t let the unusually warm days fool you–winter is coming, and with it, some annual holiday season events, including the Winter Festival of Lights in Niagara Falls. 

Recently, Niagara Falls Tourism announced that the 51-night festival (the largest free outdoor light festival in Canada) will kick off on Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, and run until Jan. 5, 2025. 

The annual event features 100 displays, weekend fireworks, a special illumination on the falls, a Santa meet-and-greet, the new Misty Lodge and a hot chocolate trail. 

According to Niagara Falls Tourism, the festival boasts more than three million lights that transform parts of the city into a “twinkling winter wonderland.” Residents and visitors can check out the light-up displays along the Niagara Parkway, Dufferin Islands and across the tourist districts. Areas with displays include Grand View, Queen Victoria Place, Lundy’s Lane, Clifton Hill and Fallsview Boulevard. 

Displays include towering 3D light sculptures, interactive installations and wildlife-themed exhibits. 

Fireworks will take place on Nov. 16 and continue every Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. until the end of the festival. Nightly shows will take place over the holidays from Dec. 27 until the finale on Jan. 5. 

Organizers said visitors can also enjoy the Sparkling Winter Lights Falls Illumination, which is intended to be “a tribute to the natural beauty all around us.” The display is part of the regular nightly illumination of the Falls, with the five-minute feature playing at 6 p.m., 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. each evening. 

Other family-friendly features of the weeks-long festival include a meet-and-greet with Santa at the Niagara Parks Floral Showhouse on select dates in December and the new Misty Lodge. Niagara Falls Tourism said the five Misty Kids (who are also the goodwill ambassadors for the event) will be at their Queen Victoria Park lodge every Friday and Saturday from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. 

Guests can also enjoy a self-guided tour of some of the best hot chocolate spots in the city. Niagara Falls Tourism says the trail includes more than 26 master chocolatiers, chefs and mixologists who will serve up creative versions of the holiday staple. 

For more information, click here.