Niagara Falls will be illuminated in royal blue until Sept. 19, the end of the 10-day mourning period for Queen Elizabeth II.
Every evening until this date, the Canadian Horseshoe Falls and the American Falls will be lit by the Niagara Falls Illumination Board from 10:30 p.m to midnight. Niagara Falls is joining other landmarks across Canada, including the Senate of Canada Building and Peace Tower, in an attempt to present a nationwide visual tribute to the late Queen.
The royal blue colour was selected to match with the viceregal flags of Canada. The colour also mimics the jewels worn by Queen Elizabeth in her final Canadian portrait; royal portraits a time-honoured tradition in Canada.
In a statement, the Niagara Falls Illumination Board expressed “its sympathies with the members of the Royal Family as they mourn such a significant loss.” The Queen visited Niagara Parks in 1951, just months before she took the throne.
The mourning period, which concludes on Sept. 19, coincides with the date of Queen Elizabeth’s funeral and burial in London.
To read the Niagara Falls Illumination Board’s official statement on the lighting of the Falls, read their press release here.