Illumination 100th Anniversary

In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the binational Niagara Falls Illumination Board, a special light and laser show with music will be presented in Niagara Falls on the evenings of Friday, September 12th, Saturday, September 13th and Sunday, September 14th. Starting from 8:30 PM, there will be 3 displays for 15 minutes. The second display will be held at 9:30 PM with a dazzling fireworks display sponsored by the Niagara Falls Hotel Association at 10 p.m. prior to the final show of each evening at 10:30 PM.

The best viewing points on the Canadian side are within Queen Victoria Park, from Murray Street to Table Rock Centre. On the American side, the best vantage point is from Terrapin Point on Goat Island, where there will be a large video screen available to assist with viewing the full display.

The nightly view of the Falls were forever changed more than 100 years ago in 1860, when 200 Bengel Lights were arranged to illuminate the Falls in honour of an upcoming visit by the Prince of Wales.

From then until the early 1920s the Falls continued to be illuminated for further Royal visits and special events.  It wasn't until a group of Niagara Falls businessmen lobbied for improvement of the Niagara Falls lights that Falls illumination became more common.  The group, known as the 'generators', raised enough money to purchase and install 24 new arc lights.  This ultimately led to the creation of the Niagara Falls Illumination Board in 1925, to ensure the management, operation and maintenance of the illumination lights. Since their erection, The Niagara Falls Illumination Board has financed and operated the Falls illumination.