See Niagara Falls In A Whole New Light

A long-awaited $4 million energy-efficient illumination system is bringing a wider spectrum of colour and brighter, more dramatic displays to both the Canadian Horseshoe and the American Falls in Niagara.

More than 1,400 individual LED luminaires along the Canadian shoreline now replace 21 older Xenon searchlights, doubling the lighting levels and improving visibility.

It’s the first significant upgrade to the Falls lighting in more than 20 years. The displays can be computer programmed for 1,800 colour combinations and automated sequences. Energy costs are expected to be reduced by as much as 60%.

The first electric illumination was in 1879 when the lighting was equivalent to 32,000 candles. Nightly lighting began in 1925 with the formation of the binational Niagara Falls Illumination Board. The cost for the new upgrade was split equally between Canada and the US, with New York Power Authority funding sources largely used for the US contribution, which includes support from New York State Parks and the city of Niagara Falls.

(photo by Paul Pasquarello, NYPA)