Niagara Falls Illumination
Enjoy the Niagara Falls Illumination Board's enhanced falls illumination!
The illumination of Niagara Falls was first made permanent in 1925 with 24 carbon arc searchlights. In 1974, a major enhancement replaced the lights with a new Xenon system, which received minor updates in 1997. Now almost 20 years later, the Niagara Falls Illumination Board is excited to showcase the new LED lights. The $4-million revitalization project uses the latest technology to light the Horseshoe and American Falls. This new lighting will provide over twice the current brightness and a wider range of colours allowing for a full palette of colour combinations that wasn't available in the past. The new, energy-efficient system will also use 82% less power than the previous Xenon lights.
Every evening beginning at dusk the Falls are lit in the colours of the rainbow - don't miss the unmatched beauty of the Falls at night!
Illumination of the Falls has been Financed and Operated by The Niagara Falls Illumination Board since 1925.
Niagara Falls Illumination Schedule Calendar
| January 1 – January 31 | 5 PM – 1 AM | ||||||||
| February 1 – March 11 | 5:30 PM – 1 AM | ||||||||
| March 12 – March 31 | 7:30 PM – 2 AM | ||||||||
| April 1- May 14 | 8:00 PM – 2 AM | ||||||||
| May 15 – July 31 | 8:30 PM – 2 AM | ||||||||
| August 1 - August 15 | 8:00 PM – 2 AM | ||||||||
| August 16 - August 31 | 7:30 PM – 2 AM | ||||||||
| September 1 - 19 | 7:00 PM – 2 AM | ||||||||
| September 20 - 30 | 6:30 PM – 2 AM | ||||||||
| October 1 - 15 | 6:15 PM – 2 AM | ||||||||
| October 16 - October 31 | 6:00 PM – 2 AM | ||||||||
| November 1 - December 31 | 4:30 PM – 2 AM | ||||||||
The Niagara Falls Illumination Board offers special illuminations for charitable and not-for-profit organizations. These groups can submit requests here.
| DATE | TIME | EVENT | COLORS |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 30 | Top of every hour for 15 minutes | National Day of Truth and Reconciliation | Orange |
| October 1 | 10:00 - 10:15 | Dysautonomia Awareness Month | Teal |
| October 1 | 10:15 - 10:30 | Domestic Violence Awareness Month | Purple |
| October 7 | 10:00 - 10:15 | International Trigeminal Neuralgia Awareness Day | Teal |
| October 9 | 10:00 - 10:15 | World PANS PANDAS Awareness Day | Red |
| October 12 | 10:00 - 10:15 | Commemoration of the National Day of Spain | Red, Yellow, Red |
| October 13 | 10:00 - 10:15 | #LightUpMBC | Green, Pink, Teal |
| October 13 | 10:15 - 10:30 | World Thrombosis Day | Canadian Falls (red), American Falls (blue) |
| October 14 | 10:00 - 10:15 | World Skin Disease Awareness Day | Blue, Green |
| October 15 | 10:00 - 10:15 | Niagara Falls goes Pink and Blue | Pink, Blue |
| October 17 | 10:00 - 10:15 | Purple Thursday for Domestic Violence | Purple |
| October 17 | 10:15 - 10:30 | National Light It Up! For NDEAM (5th anniversary event) | Purple, Blue |
| October 19 | 10:00 - 10:15 | National Psoriatic Arthritis Day (PsA) | Orange, Purple |
| October 23 | 10:00 - 10:15 | Anniversary of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 | Red, White, Green |
| October 23 | 10:15 - 10:30 | Kazakhstan’s Republic Day | Blue, Yellow, Blue |
| October 25 | 10:00 - 10:15 | World Spina Bifida Day | Teal |
| November 1 | 10:00 - 10:15 | 2024 Project Red Ribbon | Red |
| November 1 | 10:15 - 10:30 | Light the World in Teal for Alzheimer's Awareness Month | Teal |
| November 3 | 10:00 - 10:15 | 16th Annual International Prostate Cancer Awareness Observance Day | Blue |
| November 3 | 10:15 - 10:30 | Treaties Recognition Week | Purple, White, Purple, White |
| November 4 | 10:00 - 10:15 | Color The World Orange™ for CRPS/RSD Awareness | Orange |
| November 8 | Top of every hour for 15 minutes | National Indigenous Veterans Day | Orange |
| November 9 | 10:00 - 10:15 | Azerbaijani Flag Day | Blue, Red, Green |
| November 11 | Top of every hour for 15 minutes | Remembrance Day | Red |
| November 11 | Top of every hour for 15 minutes | Veterans Day | Red, White, Blue |
| November 12 | 10:00 - 10:15 | Worldwide Pneumonia Awareness Campaign - Pneumolight | Blue |
| November 18 | 10:00 - 10:15 | Independence Day of Latvia | Red, White, Red |
| November 19 | 10:00 - 10:15 | Shining A Light on Eczema | Blue |
| November 19 | 10:15 - 10:30 | National Enteropathic Arthritis Awareness Day | Purple |
| November 20 | 10:00 - 10:15 | Transgender Day of Remembrance | Pink, White, Light Blue |
| November 20 | 10:15 - 10:30 | National Child Day | Blue |
NOTE: Illumination times are approximate and subject to change according to light conditions.
History Of The Illumination Of Niagara Falls
Lighting the Falls to allow visitors to enjoy the beauty of the mighty Niagara even at night, was first attempted more than 140 years ago. In 1860, a spectacular illumination of the Falls celebrated a visit by the Prince of Wales. About 200 coloured and white calcium, volcanic and torpedo lights were placed along the banks above and below the American Falls, on the road down the bank of the Canadian side of the gorge and behind the water of the Horseshoe Falls. The lights were called Bengal lights and were the kind used at sea to signal for help or give warning.
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