Niagara Falls lights get $4M LED upgrade

The Niagara Falls light up every night, accompanied by a pyrotechnic show on some days. (Niagara Parks)

The Niagara Falls light up every night, accompanied by a pyrotechnic show on some days.

The night lights at Niagara Falls have gotten brighter and more colorful than ever after recently undergoing a $4 million upgrade.

Return visitors to the Falls this month may have noted a broader and brighter colour spectrum of the nightly illuminations thanks to new LED lighting technology that provides more than twice its previous lighting levels.

It's the first time in 20 years that the lighting infrastructure has been upgraded.

Previously, the Falls were lit using Xenon spotlight technology. Today, the 21 searchlights have been replaced with 1,400 luminaries that also reduce energy consumption by up to 60 percent.

The upgrades apply to both the American and Canadian Horseshoe Falls and are aimed at drawing in new and repeat visits, as well as extending the lengths of visitor stays in the area.

The busiest seasons at Niagara Falls are July to September. Around 12 million visitors check the Falls off their bucket list every year, with Canadians, Americans and Britons making up the top three source countries.

The Falls light up every night, while select days of the calendar are accompanied by a pyrotechnic show.

This week, the skies over the Falls will light up on Thursday and Friday nights, as well as Saturday at the stroke of midnight.

In January, a fireworks display is scheduled every Friday night.