Niagara Parks to Host Kick-Off Celebration for 41st Annual Niagara Falls Winter Festival of Lights

• The free outdoor event will include a high-impact spectacle performance by Circus Orange, a special fireworks display and DJ Nicholas Picholas performing in Queen Victoria Park
• Interactive lighting displays throughout Queen Victoria Park overlooking Niagara Falls
• Annual Poinsettia Show returns to the Niagara Parks Floral Showhouse
• Destination-wide Hot Chocolate Trail includes stop at Table Rock House Restaurant
• Full event details visit niagaraparks.com/WinterKickOff

Guests are invited to an evening of outdoor holiday celebration in Queen Victoria Park on Saturday, November 18, to celebrate Niagara Parks’ official kick-off of the 41st annual Niagara Falls Winter Festival of Lights presented by Niagara Falls Tourism.

Niagara Falls Winter Festival of Lights

Canada’s foremost illumination festival, the Niagara Falls Winter Festival of Lights presented by Niagara Falls Tourism, returns to Niagara Falls for 51 nights of twinkling lights from November 18, 2023, to January 7, 2024. Entering into its 41st year, this iconic festival has become a beloved tradition in the Niagara region, with over 3 million lights and 75+ spectacular displays providing colourful visuals transformed into a twinkling winter wonderland along the Niagara Parkway to Dufferin Islands.

For more information about Niagara Parks’ participation in the Winter Festival of Lights, please visit niagaraparks.com/WFOL.

Kick-Off Celebration in Queen Victoria Park

To mark the official launch of the festival in Niagara Parks, a free outdoor celebration will take place on Saturday, November 18, inviting guests to gather and witness the transformation of Queen Victoria Park into an illuminated winter wonderland for the first time this year. Throughout the evening, DJ Nicholas Picholas will provide a musical backdrop for guests to enjoy while exploring the interactive lighting displays. At 7:30 p.m. on an outdoor stage next to Queen Victoria Place, Circus Orange will present a mesmerizing spectacle featuring gravity-defying performances before a special fireworks display at 8 p.m. to complement the nightly illumination of the Falls.

Niagara Parks will be providing a free hop-on, hop-off shuttle throughout the evening from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., connecting guests to featured illumination displays at Table Rock Centre, Grand View and Queen Victoria Place.  

Annual Poinsettia Display

This iconic floral show featuring the quintessential holiday flower, the poinsettia, includes traditional holiday landscapes with modern touches of brilliant colours and lights that make the warmth and magic of the holiday season come to life. The annual Poinsettia Show will debut on Saturday, November 18, inviting guests to take a break from the frosty temperatures outside and enjoy a warm, floral paradise within the historic Floral Showhouse.

During the Winter Festival of Lights, the Floral Showhouse will extend its operating hours into the evening (12 p.m. to 8 p.m.) and the display will be further accented by special lighting activations. For more information, visit niagaraparks.com/poinsettia.

Hot Chocolate Trail

Throughout the Winter Festival of Lights, the self-guided Hot Chocolate Trail will lead guests to delicious stops of chocolatey concoctions created by chocolatiers, chefs and mixologists at some of the Niagara’s top restaurants and bake shops, including Niagara Parks’ Table Rock House Restaurant. Table Rock House Restaurant will be serving a Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate with Wayne Gretzky’s Salted Caramel Cream Whiskey, Whipped Cream and Hazelnut Praline (non-alcoholic option also available).

To learn more, visit WFOL.com.

Currents at the Niagara Parks Power Station

A natural complement to the illuminated displays of the Winter Festival of Lights, Currents is an epic sight and sound night show inside the heart of Niagara Parks’ newest must-see attraction, the Niagara Parks Power Station. The one-of-a-kind sensory experience reawakens the machinery of this iconic power plant through imagery, colour, lights, sound, and a breathtaking musical score. Guests planning to attend the Winter Festival of Lights kick-off celebration on November 18 can begin the evening with a 6:30 p.m. Currents show before walking to the Queen Victoria Park event grounds. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit niagaraparks.com/currents.

GTA to Niagara Go Train Service

For visitors from the GTA planning to attend the kick-off celebration, the GO Niagara Train Service continues to operate daily, to provide seamless access to all that Niagara has to offer. For bundled packages, tickets and train schedules please visit niagaraparks.com/go.