Fact check: Niagara Falls was not lit blue to celebrate the Democrats' midterm win
A viral photo claimed Canada lit Niagara Falls blue for the Democrats after the US midterms. The lights were teal, for Alzheimer's Awareness Month, and political displays are not allowed.
VERDICT: FALSE. Niagara Falls was not lit blue to celebrate the Democrats. The lights on election night were teal, for Alzheimer's Awareness Month, and the board that runs them does not allow political displays.
The claim
After the US midterm elections on 3 November, a photo of Niagara Falls glowing blue spread on X, Facebook and Threads. Posts claimed Canada had lit the falls blue in solidarity with the Democrats, who won control of both the House and the Senate.
One post on X asked: "Did Canada light up our side of the Falls blue?", Lead Stories reported.
What we found
1. The lights were for another cause. The official Niagara Parks illumination schedule lists a teal lighting from 10pm to 10:15pm on 3 November for Alzheimer's Awareness Month, according to What the Fact.
2. Political displays are banned. Katy Wassenaar, senior manager of public affairs at Niagara Parks, told Lead Stories: "Partisan political displays are not permitted under the policies and guidelines of the board." She said the image shows "a teal illumination for Alzheimer's Awareness Month."
3. Teal can look blue in photos. At night, with mist from the falls, teal light can look deep blue on camera, What the Fact noted. That may explain why the colour looked like a political message.
Other fact checkers agree
Lead Stories, AFP and Snopes all debunked the claim by 4 November.
It was not the only landmark claim after the vote. A similar post claimed France lit the Eiffel Tower blue to celebrate the Democrats' wins. Snopes also checked that claim.
The bottom line
The photo of the falls may be real, but the story attached to it is not. Niagara Falls was lit teal for Alzheimer's Awareness Month, not blue for any political party.
How to check a claim like this yourself
- Look for the official source. Niagara Parks posts its lighting schedule online.
- Ask what else the colour could mean. Landmarks are lit for many causes every month.
- Search the claim with the words "fact check" before you share it.
Sources
This story is based on reporting and documents from:
We check facts with at least two independent sources. How we work
Written by
Saad AliSaad Ali is the founder and editor of Signal 24. He writes about geopolitics, the Middle East and the stories shaping the world.
Spotted a mistake? Tell us and we will fix it.
