If anyone has been to Niagara Falls in the summer months, you probably end up talking about the Maid of the Mist and all the pageantry and festiveness of the place.

What do you get if you go there in the peak of winter when the place is getting hit by snow storms and wind chill factors of -20 degrees?

So before you ask me WHY you would go there I will tell you that you can go there to celebrate New Years or if you are a gambler, you can go there to gamble in the Casino. I went there to celebrate New Years. I also went to the Casino and lost some money.

It was very surprising to see the number of people there who braved the adverse conditions to come out into the cold and actually party the night away. It seems that many many Americans cross over to the Canadian side of the falls because that is where all the action is. I got to see this first hand by the lines of men and women outside clubs waiting to get in. The most amazing part was that the women were dressed in their skimpy club wear in -20 degree temperatures. Why someone would do this just to get inside a place to dance and drink is beyond me. I would rather be indoors by a fire drinking and listening to music and to people talking.

Niagara Falls in the Winter

The other thing that surprised me was that Niagara was just as festive in December. The mornings were very dull, but the evenings and nights were as rocking as they can be. Clifton Hill, which is the main street where all the tourist places are, was packed and bustling with tourists and shoppers. Eating joints were packed and there were enough visitors for all the attractions.

There was even an outdoor rock concert where some guys I had vaguely heard of, were playing some good music. The falls themselves were lit up with coloured lights and looked great. Visibility was low, but whatever was visible was worth seeing. Tim Hortons coffee kept me warm most of the times.

The best part of the Niagara night trip were the lights. Large and elaborate sculptures made of neon lights. All dipicting scenes ranging from people going to a mosque to deer and lions in the jungle. All of this could be seen from the comfort of your car as you slowly drove along the winding road on the side of which all these displays were put up.

I am now able to say that the darkness and the cold did not prevent me from having a great time at Niagara.