Boom Goes the Tourism Argument: New Survey Shows Niagara Falls’ Fireworks a Dud with Visitors

For Immediate Release:
October 26, 2026

Contact:
Sara Groves 202-483-7382

As the dust settles following Niagara Falls Tourism’s 151 nights of ear-shattering fireworks,an eye-opening new survey conducted by The Harris Poll and commissioned by PETA shows that the deafening displays may actually be more of a turnoff than a tourist draw. In a letter sent today to Niagara Falls Tourism Interim President Adam Stiles, PETA points to findings showing that 78% of Americans agree they could enjoy Niagara Falls without the nightly explosions, while 60% of Americans would be at least somewhat likely to avoid visiting Niagara Falls if traveling with an animal companion who is sensitive to fireworks—which can send dogs and cats bolting in terror.

Among older Americans, the verdict is nearly unanimous, with 93% of adults 65 and older agreeing they could enjoy the Falls without the displays. The findings suggest that a quieter, animal-friendly spectacle has far more appeal to American tourists, who make up nearly 1 in 4 of Niagara’s more than 13 million annual visitors: 76% say the Falls’ existing nightly illumination would be more likely than fireworks to encourage them to stay overnight, and 50% chose the illuminated Falls as the nighttime spectacle they would find most interesting.

The results blow a hole in years of claims from Niagara Falls officials that the months-long barrage of fireworks is needed to entice visitors.

“Tourists don’t relish all the thundering booms and blasts of fireworks that cause terrified animals to panic and flee,” says PETA Senior Vice President Colleen O’Brien. “The Falls were breathtaking long before someone got the half-baked idea to throw explosives into the mix, and PETA is urging Niagara Falls Tourism to heed visitors by ditching fireworks and allowing Niagara’s natural beauty and the illumination of the Falls to take center stage.”

Nearly 100,000 PETA supporters have urged Niagara Falls Tourism to end the displays. During fireworks shows, dogs and cats are known to jump fences or break through windows and screen doors to try to escape the noises, and some are never reunited with their families. Other animals, including wildlife, are hit by cars when they flee onto roads. Pyrotechnics also release toxins—including lead, carbon monoxide, aluminum, and sulfur—which can increase the amount of pollutants in the air by up to 42%.

In addition to terrorizing animals, fireworks can be deeply traumatizing to veterans, survivors of shootings, and other individuals with PTSD—and more than half of Americans polled said they would be at least somewhat likely to avoid visiting Niagara Falls if one of their human traveling companions were also distressed by fireworks.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.

Survey Method: This survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of PETA from July 14-July 15, 2026, among 2,001 adults ages 18 and older. The sampling precision of Harris online polls is measured by using a Bayesian credible interval. For this study, the sample data is accurate to within +/- 2.7 percentage points using a 95% confidence level. This credible interval will be wider among subsets of the surveyed population of interest. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables and subgroup sample sizes, please contact PETA at 757-622-7382 or [email protected].