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The famed “Festival of Lights” will return to Riverside for the upcoming Christmas season, boasting all of the entertainment that was embargoed over the last two years amid the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns.
“The Festival of Lights has been a joyous occasion for Riverside families for three decades,” Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson said. “It is gratifying to see that Riversiders will once again be able to gather together for the switch-on ceremony.”
Switch-on events, which officially inaugurate the fest downtown, were rescinded in November 2020 and November 2021. The 2020 event was prohibited by state regulations on public gatherings because of COVID, and the City Council decided to cancel the 2021 switch-on as a precautionary measure.
The ceremonies typically draw up to 75,000 people outside the Mission Inn, where streets are closed and a fireworks extravaganza takes place.
This year’s switch-on is slated for the evening of Friday, Nov. 25.
“Riverside families have looked forward to the return of the switch- on ceremony throughout the pandemic, so it is rewarding to see that patience rewarded,” Councilman Ronaldo Fierro said. “Our city is looking forward to another exciting event.”
This will be the fest’s 30th anniversary. Mission Inn Hotel & Spa owner Duane Roberts began the Festival of Lights in 1992.
The nightly event features the century-old inn bathed in multi-colored hues, with hundreds of animated characters, including elves, toy soldiers, nutcrackers and angels, visible on banisters, balconies and ledges.
Towering Christmas trees traditionally line the way outside and into the hotel, where visitors also encounter a mistletoe measuring 12-by-8 feet.
There will be an ice-skating rink, horse-drawn carriage rides, live musical entertainment, a mini carnival with a Ferris wheel, photos with Santa and Mrs Claus, as well as artisan booths and food vendors up and down the Main Street pedestrian mall.
The Dickens Carolers are also scheduled to make the rounds, regaling visitors with traditional Christmas favorites.
The city has posted a fest preview at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ggbz_HdPrg8.
This year’s activities will run nightly from Nov. 25 to Dec. 31, though the lights will continue to shine until Jan. 6.
Last year, the council allocated $100,000 for the six-week event. This season’s appropriations weren’t immediately known.
Prior to 2020, anywhere from $350,000 to $825,000 was earmarked for festival activities, which netted sizable revenue to the city and vendors.
