The Glow Must Go on, But Riverside's Festival of Lights Will Be Toned Down
There will be no switch-on ceremony when the Riverside Festival of Light begins Friday for its holiday run.
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Fireworks light up the sky during the Riverside Festival of Lights switch-on ceremony at the Mission Inn in Riverside on Friday, November 23, 2018. ((Photo by Watchara Phomicinda/Digital First Media/The Press-Enterprise via Getty Images))
An estimated 750,000 people visited during last year's Festival of Lights in downtown Riverside. This year, the glow will go on, but without the large crowds.
The community’s signature holiday event begins Friday and continues for the duration of the Christmas season. An official switch-on ceremony will not take place.
Holiday Road
Are you a (frightful) fan of Nights of the Jack, the annual Halloween treat at King Gillette Ranch in Calabasas? Prepare to drive a Holiday Road by twinkly displays, yuletide sights, and plenty of cheerful installations in that very area. Things are getting mighty festive from Dec. 4 through Jan. 10.
WonderLAnd
Go driving in a wintry "WonderLAnd" in Woodland Hills this season, and ooh/ahh over a bevy of beautiful light displays. Something sweet? There's a St. Jude Joy Drive on through Dec. 24, so do donate if you can. Details on both the fundraiser and the fun 'n festive event are here.
Karol Franks
Christmas Tree Lane, Altadena's century-old thoroughfare, is lit in 2020, but there are some changes. The team behind the free and festive tradition is asking visitors to stay in their cars as they admire the decorated deodar pines. The lights will glimmer nightly through Jan. 7, 2021.
Six Flags Magic Mountain
Six Flags Magic Mountain will shimmer with festive lights and seasonal scenes during this drive-thru event. Plan to call upon the Valencia theme park, which is temporarily closed to walk-in guests, in your car. As for what you'll see out your window? Lots of Christmassy cheer, including an area that draws from steampunk themes.
PLAINVIEW/Electric Noel
Find that yuletide spirit at this drive-thru experience, one that will send story points and songs over your FM radio. Where to find it? In Norco. The holiday delights begin on Dec. 3.
Descanso Gardens
Descanso Gardens is honoring the season in a serene way in 2020, with nature-sweet decorations and peace-pretty walks. "Enchanted Forest of Light" is cancelled, but fans of the airy garden can enjoy "Reflections at Descanso" each day through Jan. 3, 2021.
Rooftop Cinema Club
Rooftop Cinema Club will call upon Santa Monica Airport for a drive-in, one that will feature several Christmas classics (think "Elf" and other goodies). Should you decorate your auto for the holiday nights? Does Buddy the Elf love syrup?
Dodgers Holiday Festival
Drive around Dodger Stadium and eye illuminated scenes and odes to the baseball champions at the Dodgers Holiday Festival, a stay-in-your-car event. It's on from Nov. 27-Dec. 24.
Alex J. Berliner/ABImages
Spin by a host of storybook scenes at the Fairplex in Pomona, and enjoy elvish delights, at "The Elf on the Shelf's Magical Holiday Journey," a new drive-thru experience.
Nights of Lights OC
Illuminated wonders meets auto-based joy at Night of Lights OC, the new offering from the team behind Winter Fest OC. Stay in your car and roll by oodles of bulbs and pretty displays at the OC Fair & Event Center from Dec. 3, 2020 through Jan. 3, 2021.
Downtown Santa Monica
There's no ice rink this year, but Downtown Santa Monica is delivering a few festive touches, like twinkly decorations and a large menorah. Art installations, too, can be found on self-guided walks around Third Street Promenade.
Jose Luis Pelaez
Holograms, projections full of bright hues, and "over one million dazzling LED lights" will fill "Holidays in Your Car" with fa and la and la. Find it first in Ventura, starting on Nov. 22, then in Del Mar in early December.
South Coast Botanic Garden
Stroll by a caboodle of colorful lights, after the sun goes down, at South Coast Botanic Garden. An "artistically curated soundtrack" will give GLOW an extra dose of seasonal sweetness. Where to go? The Palos Verde Peninsula, but do book your ticket in advance (and get to know the destination's safety policies).
Officials decided in the summer that activities would be limited this year. The Riverside City Council voted in August to limit city funding for the six-week event to $60,000. It has generally received between $378,000 and $825,000 in previous years.
Mission Inn Hotel & Spa owner Duane Roberts began the Festival of Lights in 1992, and he acknowledged the need to scale down the affair this year to prevent large crowds and observe other precautions stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The lower-cost model for the 2020 festival includes some holiday decor in the area around the Mission Inn, including holiday-themed selfie stations, three holiday trees, large ornaments, a sleigh, bows and garland on lights and bridges, and an assortment of holiday-themed light displays, in addition to the lights that are placed on the Mission Inn,'' according to a city statement.
No carriage rides or sing-alongs are in the works, nor will there be any vendors lining the Main Street pedestrian mall. Only twinkling lights.
The nightly festival, which traditionally begins the day after Thanksgiving, features the century-old inn bathed in multi-colored hues, with some 400 animated characters, including elves, toy soldiers, nutcrackers and angels, visible on banisters, balconies and ledges.
