Opening Nov. 18, 2017 until January 31, 2018!
Created over 30 years ago, Niagara Falls' Winter Festival of Lights comes to life at dusk. My family visited it years ago, when it featured some twenty lighted animated scenes, all at Dufferin Islands, located south of the Niagara Parkway. And we loved it. I can't imagine how excited the kids would be if they had seen it in its current edition. The festival now includes the Winter Wonderland (with over 120 displays over a 5-km stretch along Niagara Parkway). There were classic lights over the 520-foot Skylon Tower when we visited but it now features a fancy computerized light show. Following the Niagara Parkway past the falls leads into Dufferin Islands, now offering projection illumination over 70 trees, bridges washed with colour and animal-shaped light structures. Most visitors observe the displays from their cars, and traffic is understandably slow, especially on the small road that leads to the islands. The waterfalls themselves are lit by a powerful system, with ever changing sweeping colour spots. The light reflects nicely on the surrounding ice-laden trees.
A good time to visit Niagara Falls is on the first weekend of the Winter Festival of Lights sort of launched with the Niagara Falls Santa Claus Parade (it runs in the residential area along Victoria Avenue and Queen Street, north of Clifton Avenue). In 2014, it takes place on Saturday November 15 at 11 a.m. Since there are fireworks on that night, it is worth staying over to enjoy it and take advantage of the family-packages offering accommodation for one night and access for two days of the great Fallsview Waterpark. Plus, it is the last day of the season to enjoy the White Water Walk and the Whirpool Aero Car.)
