What's on in Niagara Falls, Canada through the year

Quiet — travelers describe it as quiet, Winter Festival of Lights

• Season

  Icewine harvest

  1 Jan – 10 Feb · usually

  The grapes for icewine are left on the vine and picked at night once it holds below minus eight, usually in January. The wineries along the Niagara Parkway build a January festival around it. Source ↗

Still on: Winter Festival of Lights (14 Nov – 12 Jan (usually))

Quiet — one of its worst months for weather

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Icewine harvest (1 Jan – 10 Feb (usually))

Busy — March break / semaine de relâche in Canada

Nothing new starts in March.

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

• Opening

  Falls boat season

  24 Apr – 30 Nov · usuallySummer season opensClosures

  The boats run from late April to the end of November and are the only way to get under the falls. Out of season the docks are dismantled and the wet alternative is the tunnels behind the sheet. Source ↗

Busy — one of its best months for weather

Nothing new starts in May.

Still on: Falls boat season (24 Apr – 30 Nov (usually))

Peak crowds — Summer peak, Summer break in Canada

• Season

  Summer peak

  25 Jun – 5 SepSchool holidaysCrowded

  School holidays on both sides of the border land at once, and the queue for the boat runs an hour or more by midday. Go before nine or after six; the falls are floodlit every night anyway.

Still on: Falls boat season (24 Apr – 30 Nov (usually))

Peak crowds — travelers describe it as peak season, Summer peak

• Holiday

  Canada Day

  1 JulNational holidayClosuresCrowded

  1 July is a statutory holiday across the country, moved to 2 July when it falls on a Sunday. Banks, government offices and many shops close, towns put on daytime concerts and parades with fireworks after dark, and hotels and ferries fill when it makes a long weekend. Source ↗

Still on: Falls boat season (24 Apr – 30 Nov (usually)), Summer peak (25 Jun – 5 Sep)

Peak crowds — Summer peak, Summer break in Canada

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Falls boat season (24 Apr – 30 Nov (usually)), Summer peak (25 Jun – 5 Sep)

Peak crowds — Summer peak, Summer break in Canada

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: Falls boat season (24 Apr – 30 Nov (usually)), Summer peak (25 Jun – 5 Sep)

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

• Nature

  Autumn on the parkway

  5 Oct – 5 Nov · usuallyAutumn colour

  The Niagara Parkway and the botanical gardens turn through the middle of October, the boats are still running, and the queues have gone. It is the best fortnight of the year to be here.

Still on: Falls boat season (24 Apr – 30 Nov (usually))

Busy — Winter Festival of Lights

• Festival

  Winter Festival of Lights

  14 Nov – 12 Jan · usuallyChristmas & New YearCrowded

  Canada's largest free outdoor light display runs through Queen Victoria Park and along the parkway from mid-November to early January, with fireworks on Friday and Saturday nights. Source ↗

Still on: Falls boat season (24 Apr – 30 Nov (usually)), Autumn on the parkway (5 Oct – 5 Nov (usually))

Peak crowds — Winter Festival of Lights, Winter / Christmas break in Canada

Nothing new starts in December.

Still on: Winter Festival of Lights (14 Nov – 12 Jan (usually))