From the Niagara Gazette:
It was five years ago that A Festival of Lights went dark here.
After a 20-year run, the event was shutdown in 2000 for a number of reasons.
Basically it lacked a hefty infusion of capital to create new attractions, upgrade the displays and expand its marketing and promotional efforts. In the evening of its life, a common complaint from visitors was ‘same-old, same-old.’
In retrospect, a major sponsor (e.g. Kodak or Southwest Airlines) would have saved the day.