The 34th Festival of Lights switches on Saturday, Nov. 21, at 5 p.m. at Orange Street and Mission Inn Avenue. Fireworks follow right after, and the City asks people to arrive by 4:30 p.m. This year the switch-on is only the first of three start dates. The free Main Street programming and the new ticketed Candy Land at Albert S. White Park both open on Friday, Nov. 27, six nights after the fireworks. They run on different schedules and charge different prices. Choosing which night to go downtown now matters more than it did last year.
Six nights between the fireworks and Main Street
The City of Riverside's Festival page lists the season from Sunday, Nov. 22, through Dec. 31. The festival is closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. The lights come on with the switch-on. The Mission Inn's Lights & Delights Tour begins Nov. 23, while Main Street programming and Candy Land open Nov. 27, the day after Thanksgiving.
| Date | What starts or changes | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Sat., Nov. 21, 5 p.m. | Switch-on ceremony and fireworks | Orange St. and Mission Inn Ave. |
| Mon., Nov. 23 | Mission Inn's Lights & Delights Tour begins, 5, 7 and 9 p.m. | The Mission Inn Hotel & Spa |
| Thu., Nov. 26 | Festival closed for Thanksgiving | Downtown |
| Fri., Nov. 27 | Free Main Street programming and ticketed Candy Land open | Main Street; Albert S. White Park |
| Thu., Dec. 3 | Merry Artswalk | Downtown |
| Thu., Dec. 17 | Merry Artswalk; last night of Thursday-to-Sunday-only Main Street hours | Downtown |
| Fri., Dec. 18 | Main Street goes daily; Candy Land's $20 rate applies every open night | Main Street; Albert S. White Park |
| Sun., Dec. 27 | Last night of Main Street programming and Candy Land | Main Street; Albert S. White Park |
| Thu., Dec. 31 | City's listed end of the downtown season | Downtown |
| Sun., Jan. 3, 2027 | Mission Inn's own Festival season ends | The Mission Inn Hotel & Spa |
The City hasn't posted parking details yet. Its Festival page says updated event parking information and maps will go up there when available, and it points to Riverside Transit Agency as a way to get downtown without dealing with traffic or parking. For the switch-on, the 4:30 p.m. arrival time is the only firm logistics guidance so far.
Main Street is free this year, and the Arts Council runs the programming
The Main Street part of the festival costs nothing. The Riverside Arts Council says it is working with the City to lead the arts and community programming. That includes the Artisans Collective, holiday food vendors, and community performances on the Benjamin Franklin Stage by City Hall. Vendors and performers will be set up on Main Street between University Avenue and 10th Street.
Hours are 5 to 10 p.m. Programming runs Thursday through Sunday until Dec. 17, then every night through Dec. 27. The City is also promising a "classic holiday look," with warm lights on the Main Street trees and red bows on downtown light poles. Merry Artswalk lands on Dec. 3 and Dec. 17, both Thursdays.
Last year was set up differently. The Raincross Gazette's 2025 festival guide described free admission to the festival, separately priced attractions that included an ice-skating rink and carnival rides, and $15 public lots and garages Thursday through Sunday. For 2026, the City's page lists Candy Land as the new ticketed attraction. Paid attractions now sit at a park address, and Main Street is set aside for vendors, performers and the stage.
Candy Land at Albert S. White Park
Candy Land is at Albert S. White Park, 3936 Chestnut St. It's open Thursday through Sunday from Nov. 27 to Dec. 27. The City describes these pieces:
- Holiday Light Maze, an immersive walk-through
- Holiday Photo Trail, illuminated for pictures
- Holiday Games Village, with oversized lawn games and holiday-themed activities
- Snowball Arena, with soft snowballs and interactive challenges, no real snow
- Snowfall Lounge, a place to sit with seasonal food and drinks
- Holiday Art Trail, illuminated installations commissioned from local artists
- Artisan Marketplace, handcrafted goods from local artists and makers
- Food & Beverage Area, with food, wine, hot chocolate and hot apple cider
Food, drinks and anything you buy from the artisans cost extra on top of admission. The Holiday Art Trail and the Artisan Marketplace connect the park to Main Street, since both feature local artists and makers, the same group the Arts Council is programming on Main Street.
The pricing calendar favors the first three weeks
Candy Land prices depend on the date, and the resident discount only applies on certain nights. Here is the City's pricing:
| Ticket | Thursday, Friday, Sunday through Dec. 17 | Saturdays, plus every night Dec. 18–27 |
|---|---|---|
| General admission | $15 | $20 |
| Riverside resident, proof of residency at the door | $13 | $20, no resident rate |
| Family 4-Pack, any mix of adults and children | $50 | $70 |
| Children 2 and under | Free | Free |
A few things follow from that table.
The resident rate is a $2 discount, and you can only get it at the door with proof of residency. It doesn't apply on Saturdays or anywhere in the Dec. 18–27 stretch.
For four paying guests, the Family 4-Pack beats single tickets on any night. A child 2 or under gets in free, so a group that includes one may do better buying three tickets. At $50, it works out to $12.50 a person on Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays, which is less than the $13 resident rate. On Saturdays and during the final ten days, the $70 pack comes to $17.50 a person against $20 at the gate. The City says discounts and packages can't be combined.
The last night with the lower rates is Thursday, Dec. 17. That's also the second Merry Artswalk and the last night Main Street runs on its Thursday-to-Sunday schedule before going daily. From Dec. 18 on, both sites are open on the most nights and Candy Land charges $20 every night it's open.
So the cheapest Candy Land nights are Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays from Nov. 27 to Dec. 17. Those are also the nights Main Street programming is running.
The Mission Inn's season runs the longest
The hotel's own Festival of Lights calendar goes from Nov. 21, 2026, through Jan. 3, 2027, a few days past the City's Dec. 31 end date and a week past the last night of Arts Council programming. In a Sept. 30 announcement, The Mission Inn Hotel & Spa announced an all-new Festival of Lights gift shop that will carry holiday goods year-round. It will also host Build-A-Bear Workshop pop-up events for the first time this season.
The hotel's Festival of Lights page also lists Breakfast with Santa, Santa photos, and the Lights & Delights Tour, which starts Nov. 23 with times at 5, 7 and 9 p.m. That tour starts four days before Main Street and Candy Land open, so it's one of the few scheduled things to do downtown in the week between the switch-on and Thanksgiving. The Press-Enterprise covered the season announcement on Oct. 5, with the Mission Inn as the centerpiece.
Downtown's November starts with Día de los Muertos
Downtown has plenty going on in the three weeks before the switch-on. The Raincross Gazette's 2026 events calendar lists Riverside's Día de los Muertos Festival for Sunday and Monday, Nov. 1 and 2. It's free, and the calendar expects more than 80 community altars, two music stages, folklórico and Aztec dancers, Lucha Libre, lowriders and a La Catrina pageant across six to seven blocks. Look for hours and street details closer to the weekend.
On Nov. 1, the Museum of Riverside holds a free First Sundays: Dia de los Muertos program from 1 to 4 p.m. at Main Street and Mission Inn Avenue, with a history talk and a butterfly clothespin craft. The following Friday, Nov. 6, the Riverside Arts Council lists a free Día de los Muertos Market Night with Mundial Coffee from 5 to 9 p.m. at 1725 Spruce St. #104, with mariachi, face painting, food and local vendors.
Our August look at downtown Riverside followed how the district's day splits between mornings and evenings. From November 1 to December 27, the evening side mostly runs on the Festival's calendar, and the 4:30 p.m. arrival on Nov. 21 is the first date on it.
At Alton Jones, we pay attention to how the downtown calendar affects the streets around the Arts and Culture District, from switch-on traffic to a month of Thursday-to-Sunday evenings on Main Street. If you own near the Mission Inn or are thinking about a home within walking distance of it, we're glad to talk through what the season means for that block. Schedule a Consultation, and we'll share what we see on the ground.
