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The Mission Inn Hotel and Spa is an iconic landmark of the Inland Empire. Full of both local and international history, it is a living testament to the story of Riverside and the inhabitants that surround it.
Every year, this timeless destination gets into the holiday spirit by putting on a six-week celebration that includes a street festival down the Main Street pedestrian mall, horse carriage rides, and its main attraction: the hotel decked floor to ceiling with thousands of glittering Christmas lights.
This celebration kicks off with the ever-popular switch on the ceremony that, this year, will happen on Nov 24 at 4:30 p.m. and will run until Jan 6.
The event will include fireworks among the rest of the regularly scheduled attractions for the coming season. This event attracts over 500,000 visitors annually, according to the hotel’s website.
Some new additions this year will be its 25th-anniversary theme, which is called ‘Sweet Twenty Five’ and will present itself throughout the façade and festival through candy-themed walkways, special offerings at Kelly’s Spa, and food options with participating vendors, including Casey’s Cupcakes.
Due to the large scale of the event, the hotel begins to decorate in August.
Its growing popularity has caused conflicts with growth and spending, raising concerns with the Riverside City Council.
This year, street performers have felt the heat from the festival, nearly getting prohibited from performing during weekdays due to crowding and safety concerns.
The safety issue has since been negotiated and the city and hotel will provide designated areas for performers to be able to show off their talents and earn tips.
Another issue that is very near to many locals’ hearts was the ever-famous outdoor ice rink that was an annual attraction in the Main Street Mall. The city council repealed the funding for its return due to the cost of setup and maintenance being over 100,000 dollars.
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