"To see the Falls at night is to be wide awake in the land of dreams"
is how one Niagara visitor in the mid 1940's described the illumination of the
Falls on Niagara. The description still holds true in the 1990's.
 |
The first large scale attempt to illuminate the Falls at night was in 1860
using what were known as Bengal Lights (before electricity). In 1925 twenty four
great carbon arc lamps were turned on producing 1,320,000,000 candlepower. |
| Currently a total of 21 Xenon lights are used to illuminate the Falls. In
1998, 18 of these new lights replaced older lamps and fixtures at the Illumination
tower, doubling the intensity of the lights on the Falls without doubling the
hydro bills. Each Xenon spotlight illuminating the Falls at night has a brilliance
of 250,000,000 candlepower. |
 |
Funding for the year-round, nightly illumination of the Falls is provided by:
- The City of Niagara Falls, New York
- The City of Niagara Falls, Ontario
- The Niagara Parks Commission
- The Niagara Frontier State Park Authority of New York
- Ontario Hydro.
| Illumination
Schedule |
January 1 to January 19
January 20 to February 28
March 1 to March 31
April 1 to April 30
May
June
July
Aug 1 to Aug 23
Aug 24 to September 30
October
November 1 to November 19
Nov 20 to December 31
|
On
5:00
6:30
7:00
8:30
9:00
9:00
9:00
9:00
8:30
7:00
6:30
5:00 |
Off
12:00
10:00
10:00
11:00
12:00
12:00
12:00
12:00
12:00
12:00
12:00
1:00AM |
Note: All times are approximate and are subject to change according to lights
conditions.
The Falls were first illuminated in 1860 to honour the visit of the Prince
for Wales. During that visit the great performer Blondin walked a tightrope across
the Great Gorge.
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