What’s open and closed Christmas Day in Niagara Falls, St. Catharines, Welland, Lincoln and Niagara-on-the-Lake

It’s that time of year once more. On Christmas Day, most shops, businesses and non-essential services will be closed to observe the country’s biggest holiday.

This year, Christmas in the Niagara Region (Niagara Falls, Niagara-0n-the-Lake, St. Catharines, Lincoln, Welland and other municipalities) falls on Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024.

Here is a list of what’s open and closed on Christmas Day.

Open:

• Some smaller grocery stores, such as Rabba Fine Foods locations
• Most convenience stores and gas stations
• Select Wine Rack stores (call ahead to be sure)
• Many Tim Hortons and Starbucks cafes (call ahead just in case)
• Some Shoppers Drug Mart locations (call ahead to be sure)
• Many restaurants will be open for dine-in, takeout and delivery, especially in Niagara Falls, but call ahead to be sure.
• Movie theatres will be open throughout Niagara Region
• Many Niagara Falls family-oriented tourist attractions will be open, including Clifton Hill attractions, Skylon Tower, Bird Kingdom, Fallsview Indoor Water Park and more
• The Niagara Falls Winter Festival of Lights will run as usual

Closed:

• All LCBO and Beer Store locations
• Most major grocery stores, such as Fortino’s, Longo’s, Walmart, Great Canadian Superstores, Metro and Zehrs
• Most 60-plus wineries and 20 craft breweries
• Most Niagara Parks attractions, including the Niagara Parks Power Station, the Wildplay Whirlpool Adventure Course, Niagara City Cruises, Journey Behind the Falls, the Floral Showcase, the Butterfly Conservatory, the Laura Secord Homestead, all Niagara Parks-run restaurants except for Table Rock Market, the Grand View Giftshop and more.
• All non-emergency federal and provincial government offices
• All city and town halls
• All non-emergency Niagara Region offices and services
• All major shopping malls, including the Outlet Collection in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Canada One in Niagara Falls, the Pen Centre and Fairview Mall in St. Catharines, and the Seaway Mall in Welland
• Banks
• Libraries
• Community Centres
• Community Recycling Centres
• Arenas

Garbage:

There will be no garbage collection on Christmas Day. All pickups will be delayed by one day. To find out when your garbage and recycling will be picked up, visit here.

Transit:

• Niagara Transit: There is no conventional bus service in Niagara Falls, St. Catharines, Welland and other regional routes on Christmas Day.
• Microtransit/Specialized: No Service
• Niagara Falls (Chair-A-Van): No Service
• St. Catharines (Paratransit): No Service
• Welland (WellTrans): No Service
• GO Transit will run on a Saturday schedule