Ontario Power Generation’s Winter Festival of Lights is making headlines into spring, with its Deck the Falls tour having been recognized as the best new festival or event for 2017 by Festivals and Events Ontario.

The Deck the Falls walking tour saw pop-up carolers, gourmet food sampling, holiday beverages, entertainers, holiday themed photo-ops and craft activities along a walking tour through the tourist district of Niagara Falls.

The Festival (WFOL) also received two other awards as a Festival of Distinction and as a Top 100 Festival and Event.

Tina Myers, executive director of WFOL, said this year’s attendance numbers were the festival’s highest yet, with around 1.65 million visitors compared to around 1.33 million in 2016.

“We just experienced our biggest year yet, with more visitors than ever before,” she said, noting plans have already begun to make next year’s festival even more successful.

“We literally spend 365-days-a-year to plan the event and need to be as proactive as possible to ensure growth and success.”

Next year the festival plans to introduce an annual international fireworks competition to WFOL.