‘State-of-the-art’ flying theatre attraction set to open in Niagara Falls

‘Niagara Takes Flight’ is set to open on Aug. 29, and is being billed as a $25 million “state-of-the-art flying theatre attraction.” (Niagara Parks)

A brand-new experience that’s the first of its kind in Ontario is coming to the Niagara Falls area.

“Niagara Takes Flight” is set to open on Aug. 29 and is being billed as a $25 million “state-of-the-art flying theatre attraction.”

The ride will “soar” guests above a 180-degree domed screen playing video drone footage of popular Niagara-area sites like the Horseshoe Falls, similar to Walt Disney World’s ‘Soarin’ Around the World’ attraction at its Orlando, Fla., Epcot park.

In fact, according to a press release, Disney Imagineer Rick Rothschild, who was a principal creator of the world’s first flying theatre attraction, Disneyland’s ‘Soarin’ Over California’, served as creative director on the new Niagara Falls attraction.

Another big name attached to the project is Niagara Falls-raised Oscar-winning director James Cameron, who “provided narration for a featured portion of the dynamic pre-show experience.”

The new attraction will be located inside the Table Rock Centre on Niagara Falls Parkway, and will suspend riders in gondola-style seating, mimicking flying through sensory effects like wind, mist, and scent.

Ahead of the ride, visitors will enter through a digital waterfall and then “journey” through four audiovisual “storytelling rooms,” where they’ll hear about 13,000 years of Niagara’s history as narrated by Cameron.

“It was a pleasure and honour to lend my voice to a project that celebrates the Falls and the city I grew up in,” Cameron said in the release. “My first job at the age of 16 was working for the Niagara Parks Commission, so this closed that loop, 55 years later.”

Indigenous artwork will also be featured in one of the rooms.

“Niagara Takes Flight” will be open daily from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Tickets start at $19 for children and $29 for adults.