Niagara Falls illumination

Niagara Falls Illumination

Hundreds of LED lights are housed in three locations across the Niagara Gorge in Niagara Falls, Ontario. Together, these lights work to create a breathtaking view not to be missed, and are illuminated every night of the year beginning at dusk.

Throughout the year, Niagara Falls is illuminated for holidays and significant occasions, as determined by the Niagara Falls Illumination Board (NFIB). The falls are also lit in custom colors for short durations to mark significant dates in support of charitable causes. A schedule of upcoming special illuminations is shown below.

Inspired by Nature

As of November 14, 2020, the "Inspired by Nature" display will become part of the regular nightly illumination of the Falls, with the five-minute lighting display playing through three times on the half hour, beginning at 7:30 each evening, with additional shows at 8:30, 9:30, 10:30, and 11:30 pm.

The new illumination display will feature color palettes and movements inspired by nature, including the sunrise, aurora borealis, rainbow and sunset. The mighty American and Canadian Horseshoe Falls will come alive every evening with this tribute to the natural beauty all around us.

The New Falls Illumination

In 2016, almost 20 years since the last major investment in falls lighting, the existing Xenon lights were replaced with new, energy-efficient LED lighting technology. These new lights provide more than twice the previous lighting levels, programmable lighting, and a wider spectrum of color. The new lights also fill gaps to provide a more consistent lighting effect.

2023 Falls Illumination Schedule

Dates On Off
February 1 - March 11 5:30 PM 1:00 AM
March 12: Spring Forward 1 Hour
March 12 - 31 7:30 PM 2:00 AM
April 1 - May 14 8:00 PM 2:00 AM
May 15 - July 31 8:30 PM 2:00 AM
August 1 - 15 8:00 PM 2:00 AM
August 16 - 31 7:30 PM 2:00 AM
September 1 - 19 7:00 PM 2:00 AM
September 20 - 30 6:30 PM 2:00 AM
October 1 - 15 6:15 PM 2:00 AM
October 16 - 31 6:00 PM 2:00 AM
November 5: Fall Back 1 Hour
November 1 - December 31 4:30 PM 2:00 AM

 

2023 Special Illumination Dates

Date Time Event Color
February 22 10:00 - 10:15 World Encephalitis Day 2023 Red
February 22 10:15 - 10:30 World Thinking Day Blue, Yellow
February 22 10:30 - 10:45 Ontario's Human Trafficking Awareness Day Blue
February 24 8:00 - 8:15 In solidarity with Ukraine & Ukrainian People - 1 year mark since invasion of Ukraine Blue, Yellow
February 24 10:00 - 10:15 In solidarity with Ukraine & Ukrainian People - 1 year mark since invasion of Ukraine Blue, Yellow
February 27 10:00 - 10:15 Dominican Republic Independence Day Blue, White, Red
February 28 10:00 - 10:15 Rare Disease Day Cleveland Pink
February 28 10:15 - 10:30 Rare Disease Day 2023 Green, Blue, Pink, Purple
February 28 10:30 - 10:45 Global Chain of Lights Green, Blue, Pink
March 1 10:00 - 10:15 Shed A Light on ENDO Yellow
March 3 10:00 - 10:15 National Day of Bulgaria White, Green, Red
March 3 10:15 - 10:30 Brock University's Relay for Life Group Yellow, Blue
March 3 10:30 - 10:45 Dress in Blue Day Blue
March 4 10:00 - 10:15 Light Up the Night for Endometriosis Yellow
March 5 10:00 - 10:15 International Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome Awareness Day Blue
March 6 10:00 - 10:15 Turn the Town Teal for World Lymphedema Day Teal
March 7 10:00 - 10:15 Colorectal Cancer Awareness Blue
March 9 10:00 - 10:15 World Kidney Day Yellow, Blue
March 17 Top of every hour for 15 minutes St. Patrick's Day Global Greening Green
March 18 10:00 - 10:15 Amyloidosis Awareness Month Red
March 25 8:30 - 9:30 Earth Hour No Illuminations/Tours
March 25 10:00 - 10:15 Endometriosis Awareness Month Yellow
March 31 9:00 - 9:15 Dental Hygiene Conference Blue
March 31 10:00 - 10:15 Defeat MSA / Move4MSA Purple
March 31 10:15 - 10:30 Multiple Myeloma Awareness Day Red
April 1 10:15 - 10:30 April Oral, Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Month Red, White
April 22 Top of every hour for 15 minutes Earth Day Green
April 26 10:00 - 10:15 Canadian Fertility Awareness Week Green
May 12 10:00 - 10:15 MCS Awareness Day Yellow, Green
May 12 10:15 - 10:30 National Fibromyalgia Awareness Day Purple
May 22 Top of every hour for 15 minutes
Victoria Day Purple
May 29 Top of every hour for 15 minutes
Memorial Day Red, White, Blue
June 5 Top of every hour for 15 minutes
World Environmental Day Green
June 19 Top of every hour for 15 minutes
Juneteenth Freedom Day Red, Green, Black
June 30 Top of every hour for 15 minutes
Pride Rainbow
July 1 Top of every hour for 15 minutes
Canada Day Red, White
July 4 Top of every hour for 15 minutes
Independence Day Red, White, Blue
August 10 10:00 - 10:15 Ecuador Independence Day Yellow, Blue, Red
September 30 Top of every hour for 15 minutes
National Day of Truth and Reconciliation Orange
October 9 Top of every hour for 15 minutes Canadian Thanksgiving Red, White
November 8 Top of every hour for 15 minutes
National Indigenous Veterans Day Orange
November 11 Hourly 6:00 - 11:00
Remembrance Day Red
November 11 Hourly 6:15 - 11:15
Veterans Day Red, White, Blue
November 23 Top of every hour for 15 minutes
American Thanksgiving Red, White, Blue

 

How to Submit Special Niagara Falls Lighting Requests

Please visit our Illumination Requests page for more information on how to submit a special Niagara Falls lighting request.

Illumination Requests