Festival of Lights in Riverside turns on the power in another early switch-on ceremony
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The Mission Inn is again shining for the holidays.
For the second year in a row, the Mission Inn Hotel & Spa Festival of Lights launched before Thanksgiving, ushering in weeks of glowing lights, family activities and Christmas cheer.
With the flick of a switch, the historic downtown Riverside hotel exploded in light Saturday evening, Nov. 23. Fireworks celebrated the launch. Live music entertained the throng of people gathered around the inn.
The Arvisu family, from Murrieta, takes a selfie after the 32nd annual Mission Inn Hotel & Spa Festival of Lights switch-on ceremony in downtown Riverside on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer)
Sergio Serrano enjoys the music of Matt Mauser and The Tijuana Dogs after the switch-on ceremony for the 32nd annual Mission Inn Hotel & Spa Festival of Lights in downtown Riverside on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer)
Matt Mauser and The Tijuana Dogs perform Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, after the switch-on ceremony for the Mission Inn Hotel & Spa Festival of Lights in downtown Riverside. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer)
Visitors line up Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, at the Gingerbread Shop after the switch-on ceremony for the 32nd annual Mission Inn Hotel & Spa Festival of Lights in downtown Riverside. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer)
UC Riverside student Atiya Orathi checks out Christmas decorations in downtown Riverside on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, after the switch-on ceremony for the 32nd annual Mission Inn Hotel & Spa Festival of Lights. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer)
Attendees walk down Main Street on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, after the switch-on ceremony for the 32nd annual Mission Inn Hotel & Spa Festival of Lights in downtown Riverside. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer)
Visitors enjoy the Christmas decorations Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, after the switch-on ceremony for the 23rd annual Mission Inn Hotel & Spa Festival of Lights. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer)
Coachella residents Sayani, 6 months, and Sergio Perez pose Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, for a photo on Main Street after the switch-on ceremony for the 32nd annual Mission Inn Hotel & Spa Festival of Lights. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer)
Fireworks explode above the Mission Inn Hotel & Spa on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, after the switch-on ceremony for the 32nd annual Mission Inn Hotel & Spa Festival of Lights in downtown Riverside. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer)
Fireworks explode above the Mission Inn Hotel & Spa on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, after the switch-on ceremony for the 32nd annual Mission Inn Hotel & Spa Festival of Lights in downtown Riverside. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer)
Fireworks explode above the Mission Inn Hotel & Spa on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, after the switch-on ceremony for the 32nd annual Mission Inn Hotel & Spa Festival of Lights in downtown Riverside. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer)
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The Arvisu family, from Murrieta, takes a selfie after the 32nd annual Mission Inn Hotel & Spa Festival of Lights switch-on ceremony in downtown Riverside on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer)
“Every year, Riverside’s downtown is transformed into a magical place of beauty with activities for everyone,” Riverside Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson said of the festival in a news release.
For most of its life, the event kicked off the holiday season on the day after Thanksgiving, but officials moved it up a week starting in 2023 to give families more time to visit and to help spread out crowds.
The 32nd annual festival will include traditional pieces such as Santa Claus, a skating rink, a Ferris wheel and vendors. That’s in addition to the inn itself, which is bathed in more than 10 million lights, plus holiday decorations.
New to the festival this year are a toy shop, a candy store and the return of a New Year’s Eve extravaganza at the hotel.
The Festival of Lights will run past the holidays, until Jan. 6.
In a statement, Kelly and Duane Roberts, owners of the Mission Inn, said they were pleased to again stage the spectacle.
“Each year, we are inspired by the joy it brings to so many, and we are proud to continue this cherished tradition that brightens Riverside and brings people together from near and far to experience the wonder of the Mission Inn.”
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