Festival holiday walking tour back for another season
More than 1,100 tickets sold so far for Deck the Falls
Deck the Falls has returned for a third year with new venues and activities.
The inaugural event, part of the Ontario Power Generation Winter Festival of Lights, featured 13 stops and more than 400 people checked out the elaborately-designed venues.
Last year, more than 700 people took the self-guided tour.
More than 1,100 tickets have already been sold for this year’s event, which takes place Fridays and Saturdays 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. until Dec. 15.
“The positive feedback we have received from both locals and tourists alike has been outstanding,” said Tina Myers, executive director of the Winter Festival of Lights.
“Deck the Falls has quickly become one of the key events that people are looking forward to each holiday season.”
Each location — 16 in all — offers a different holiday-themed activity including food and beverage samples, games, live entertainment and craft workshops.
Scotiabank Convention Centre, for example, is serving up maple syrup taffy sticks courtesy of White Meadows Farms of Pelham.
Other stops on this year’s route include Casino Niagara, Crowne Plaza Hotel and Niagara Parks Floral Showhouse. New destinations include Skylon Tower.
Tickets are $46.99 and include a Wego bus pass and an Incline Railway day pass.
The Winter Festival of Lights runs until Jan. 31 and features a number of interactive illumination displays.
The majority of lights are located along an eight-kilometre stretch of Niagara Parkway between Clifton Hill and Dufferin Islands. Additional illuminations are located with the Fallsview
and Clifton Hill areas and Lundy’s Lane.
The festival was recently awarded the event of the year award by the Tourism Industry Association of Canada. The award, presented Nov. 28 at a ceremony in Quebec, recognized the success of the 2017 festival, which attracted more than 1.6 million visitors. This is the first time the local festival had received the top award.
“Putting together an event of this magnitude and scale is a culmination of so many moving parts, and our staff and volunteers work countless hours to create the best experience possible for locals and tourists alike,” Myers said. “This recognition is such an inspiration to us all.”
The award is presented to an event or festival that exemplifies industry best practices in all aspects of its operations and which serves as an example of excellence to other events and festivals and the tourism industry.
Founded in 1982, the Winter Festival of Lights attracts an average of 1.5 million visitors each year. For Deck the Falls ticket information and a full list of festival events visit www.wfol.com.