Niagara Falls, Ontario · After dark
Dinner at a local restaurant, then the Illumination Tower, where you choose the colours that wash over the water.
After dark the falls glow in colour, and on this tour you get to choose the colours yourself.
The falls
Niagara Falls is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the border between Ontario and New York. Horseshoe Falls is the largest, with American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls making up the other two.
Horseshoe Falls, also called the Canadian Falls, stands about 57 metres high and about 790 metres wide, and around 90% of the Niagara River goes over its crest. It is the waterfall used in most of the iconic tourist shots of Niagara.
From the Canadian side, floodlights illuminate both sides of the falls for several hours after dusk. Niagara is both a daytime and an evening attraction, with more than 20 million visitors a year.
Theories differ on where the name comes from. The most common assumption links it to Indigenous words for water, and one early rendering, Ongiara, is given as “thundering water”.
From the hotel to the switch
One four-hour evening in a small group, from the moment a guide collects you at your hotel to the moment you are dropped back.
Pickup is from hotels in downtown Niagara Falls, Canada, and it is part of the fare. The tour cannot collect guests on the American side.
Dinner runs about an hour and a half and is included in the fare. The evening is built around views of the falls, and dinner is where it starts.
After short stops at American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls, evenings between May and October board the Niagara City Cruises fireworks boat for about an hour on the water, with the lit falls and the city skyline around you.
About fifteen minutes of the itinerary are set aside for the display. The schedule changes each year and the weather decides each show, so no date can promise one.
The last big stop is the tower, about half an hour on the itinerary, where guests get the chance to control the lights on the falls themselves.
You change the colours that wash over the falls, then leave with an “I Lit Up Niagara Falls” certificate. After that you are dropped back in downtown Niagara Falls, Canada.
Itineraries can change. The boat ride is a May-to-October feature, the fireworks calendar shifts year by year and each display is at the weather's mercy. Availability for your date shows the start time.
In the fare
One fare covers the transport, the dinner and the tower. Here is what each part is, and what you settle separately.
Premium tour, power station or cruise only
| Evening | What is in it | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|
| Premium night tour with dinner · 4 hours | Hotel pickup and drop-off in downtown Niagara Falls, Canada, dinner at a local restaurant, the Illumination Tower with the lights under your control and, from May to October, the fireworks boat ride. A small group of about seven. | A full evening that ends with your hand on the switch. |
| Power Station, tower and dinner · 4 hours | Hotel pickup and drop-off, a 3-course dinner with a view of the falls, the Illumination Tower, the Niagara Parks Power Station with its Currents sound and light show, and the underground tunnel to a platform at the base of Horseshoe Falls. Up to seven guests; not suitable for wheelchair users. | Dates outside the boat season, or anyone who would rather see the power station and the tunnel than ride a boat. |
| Evening fireworks cruise · 40 minutes | The cruise on its own, aboard a catamaran from Niagara Falls, Canada: a souvenir mist poncho, music, a licensed cash bar and Wi-Fi, with fireworks if the weather allows. It does not include dinner or hotel pickup. | Anyone who wants only the boat and has dinner sorted already. |
Pick a date and see open seats on the same GetYourGuide listing ↗
Three ways to spend the night
The premium night tour, the Power Station evening and the shorter fireworks cruise, each opening its own GetYourGuide page.
Hotel pickup and drop-off in downtown Niagara Falls, Canada, dinner at a local restaurant, the Illumination Tower with the lights under your control and, from May to October, the fireworks boat ride. A small group of about seven.
Open this night ↗Hotel pickup and drop-off, a 3-course dinner with a view of the falls, the Illumination Tower, the Niagara Parks Power Station with its Currents sound and light show, and the underground tunnel to a platform at the base of Horseshoe Falls. Up to seven guests; not suitable for wheelchair users.
Open this night ↗The cruise on its own, aboard a catamaran from Niagara Falls, Canada: a souvenir mist poncho, music, a licensed cash bar and Wi-Fi, with fireworks if the weather allows. It does not include dinner or hotel pickup.
Open this night ↗More Niagara Falls experiences on GetYourGuide
Before the pickup
The fireworks boat ride runs May through October, the fireworks schedule changes from year to year and each display depends on the weather. For dates outside the season, check what that day offers or look at the Power Station evening.
Pickup is from hotels in downtown Niagara Falls, Canada, with three pickup points offered. Details appear when you check availability. Staying on the American side? The tour cannot collect you there.
Allow about four hours for the whole evening; the start time for your date appears once you check availability.
The guide leads in English and the group is small, about seven people, so the dinner table and the tower stop stay personal.
Your ticket lives on your phone, ready the moment you book. There is nothing to print.
You can cancel up to 3 days before for a full refund. Gratuities are not included, so budget for the guide separately.
Reading before you reserve
Six stages of one four-hour evening in a small group, in the order they happen.
Read the guide → the lightsWhat the tower stop is, how long it lasts and what you take home.
Read the guide → the seasonThe boat is seasonal, the fireworks timetable moves and the weather has the last word.
Read the guide → choosingThree evenings, one town, and the question of whether you want dinner, a boat or a power station.
Read the guide → the fallsThe size and the flow of the falls you will see lit at night.
Read the guide → the practical bitThe arrangements to settle before the guide arrives at your hotel.
Read the guide →FAQ
Nobody can promise it. The boat ride runs May to October, the fireworks schedule varies by year and every display depends on the weather. If the fireworks matter to you, choose a date inside that season.
No. The boat ride follows the cruise company's May-to-October season. For other months, check what each date offers when you search, or compare the Power Station evening, which has no boat on its itinerary.
No. Pickup is from hotels in downtown Niagara Falls, Canada. The tour cannot collect guests on the American side.
Small and intimate, about seven people, with a live guide in English.
The tower stop lasts about half an hour on the itinerary. Guests get the chance to control the lights on the falls themselves and receive an “I Lit Up Niagara Falls” certificate. Guests describe choosing the colours as the highlight of the night.
Gratuities. Hotel pickup and drop-off, dinner at a local restaurant, the Illumination Tower and, in season, the fireworks boat ride are part of the fare.
Yes, free up to 3 days before the start, for a full refund. The Power Station evening cancels free up to 24 hours ahead and lets you reserve now and pay later.
The fare covers dinner, hotel transport and the tower, which is why it costs more than a boat ticket alone. One guest called the price on the higher side but good value, given the dinner and the hotel transport. If a boat is all you want, the fireworks cruise is a separate booking.
The figure is a starting fare per person for the premium night tour. GetYourGuide shows the full total for your group, in your currency, before payment.