Riverside’s signature vacation show will continue. Corn for the second consecutive year, the Mission Inn Hotel & Spa Festival of Lights will not feature the popular lighting ceremony, officials said on Monday, September 20.
The Mission Inn has decided to cancel the opening night which attracts tens of thousands of people from all over Southern California due to concerns about the safety of people the fuels of the delta variant another coronavirus outbreak, a press release said. And the city of Riverside, which is partnering with the hotel to organize the event, intends to cut its festival programs.
As a result, the 2021 festival, for the most part, will reflect the event of 2020, the statement said.
David Bristow, lawyer for the Mission Inn, said rescinding the start-up was a difficult decision to make.
“The hard part is, we don’t know what the world will be like on the Friday after Thanksgiving,†Bristow said, but plans must be made now to protect public health.
What this means for festival goers is that there will be no dazzling fireworks display as millions of Christmas lights come on. Many traditional elements – live entertainment, attractions, food vendors and horse drawn carriages – will not be part of the 2021 celebration, the statement said.
Last year, the name of the reduced event was temporarily changed to Christmas lights at the hostel.
Bristow said there were no such plans this year.
“The Festival of Lights itself will not be reduced in terms of lights and decorations, as far as the Mission Inn is concerned,†he said.
Calling the festival a “much-loved tradition,” Riverside Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson said the hotel and city “look forward to the lighting ceremony returning in 2022”.
In recent years, the festival has attracted over 700,000 people over its roughly six-week duration and up to 75,000 for the opening night festivities.
The festival will still feature lights and decorations at the Mission Inn Hotel & Spa, and the city will be setting up holiday-themed selfie stations, holiday trees, ornaments, a sleigh, and an assortment of light shows, indicates the press release.
City officials are looking at ways to improve the festival experience by adding decorations and lights along Main Street, Liberation States, and a proposal is expected to go to Riverside City Council.
“We hope that next year’s 30th anniversary will be a time when we can return to the Festival as we knew it before COVID-19,†Pro Mayor Tem Gaby Plascencia said in the press release.
