Niagara Falls 
Niagara Falls Region offers plenty of fun activities during Thanksgiving weekend, but if you want to combine fall colour hikes, waterfall trips and a grand festival featuring family fun, a massive vendor market, and live entertainment, among other activities, visit Ball’s Falls Conservation Area.
Ball’s Falls is hosting their annual Thanksgiving Festival from October 10th to 13th. This yearly Niagara tradition began in 1974 to raise money for conservation and environmental programs.
This year, join them for their 51st year to celebrate Thanksgiving and discover the beautiful Niagara escarpment in the fall.
Get your Thanksgiving groceries from the local farmer’s market. You can find fruits, vegetables, meat, eggs and flowers here.
There are over 120 craft and artisan vendors selling a wide range of items, including jewelry, food, clothing, art, and home decor. They also sell a variety of accessories, including candles, sculptures, wood products, and ceramics.
This eclectic tradition boasts a diverse lineup of performers. The Main Stage lineup runs from Friday, October 10 to Monday, October 13, featuring Gravely James, Fleetwood Nicks, Pulse X, and a Women’s Songwriter Circle on Friday; Tin Roof Duo, The Blackstones, New Moon Junction, and the Andy Colonico Band on Saturday; Sean Bienhaus, Practically Petty, Dwayne Laforme’s Boogie Blues!, and Doctor Tongue on Sunday; and A Sea of Gold and Burgundy, One Ugly Cowboy, The Handsome Devils, and a Country Songwriters Circle with Angela Siracusa, Marty Allen, and Rebekah Stevens on Monday.
Offering an ideal Thanksgiving weekend for families, the festival features a wide array of entertaining activities and artisanal delights.
Children can enjoy magic shows, face-painting, and live birds-of-prey shows, promising a Thanksgiving weekend filled with cherished moments and fun for all ages.
You can also participate in heritage tours, historical demonstrations, and nature hikes. Ball’s Falls Conservation Area meticulously preserves the ambiance of its early-to-mid 19th-century industrial hamlet, showcasing historic structures such as the Ball family home, an operational flour mill, a lime kiln, a church, a blacksmith shop, and more.
Established in 1809 as Glen Elgin by the Ball brothers, it thrived as a bustling industrial town by the 1840s. While most buildings have vanished, the gristmill, a lime kiln, and the Ball homestead endure. Additionally, historic structures from the vicinity, such as a pioneer log cabin and a wooden church, have been relocated to the park.
Visitors can explore this rich history through guided tours and demonstrations during Thanksgiving weekend.
The nature hikes take you along colourful trails. Enjoy the view of the majestic Twenty Mile Creek plummeting over cliffs, making two falls – the upper and lower falls backdropped by glorious hues of soft yellow and crimson. Remember to come back during the holiday season to explore the lighted trail and illuminated Ball’s Falls.
Trip Planning — Ball’s Falls Thanksgiving Festival
What: The 51st Festival features 120+ craft and artisan vendors, delicious foods, craft beverages and wines, local farmers’ market vendors, live acoustic music and children’s entertainment, historical demonstrations, heritage tours and nature hikes.
When:
Friday, October 10 – Monday, October 13
10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
How Much:
General Admission: $ 11.75
Seniors (65+): $8.75
Children (5 -11): $8.75
Where: Ball’s Falls Conservation Area
3292 Sixth Avenue, Lincoln, Ontario
L0R 1S0
