Background 

I have lived in Riverside my whole life and one of my favorite Christmas traditions is attending the Mission Inn Festival of Lights. This year, the grand opening was on November 23, 2024, where dazzling colorful fireworks marked the start of the Christmas season. The Festival of Lights has been around for many years, featuring around three million Christmas lights and over 400 animated figures. Every day at 5 pm, the lights throughout the Mission Inn are turned on creating a magical atmosphere. There are so many lights to see that it is a unique experience every time from dazzling lit-up ornaments to glittering snowflakes hung on trees. Almost every inch of the Mission Inn is covered in lights! In addition to all these stunning lights, there are many Christmas treats and food to enjoy from the many vendors. Whether  enjoying hot cocoa at the gingerbread house tent or admiring the warm aroma of freshly made cinnamon churros, the Festival of Lights truly captures the magic of the Christmas season. 

Rides, Prizes, and Holiday Cheer

At the Festival of Lights, there are rides for both adults and children. There is a giant Ferris wheel that overlooks the Mission Inn with beautiful views from the very top. For children, there are game booths, where they can win a stuffed animal and many other prizes. In addition, there is a smaller Ferris wheel just for children to ride, a carousel, and a jumper for children to play in. Lastly, children can meet Santa Claus at the Mission Inn hotel to tell them what they want for Christmas or anything their heart desires. Throughout the Mission Inn, there are cute displays of gingerbread houses, elves making cookies, and lights that children can take photos with. As well as many stores have Christmas decorations for families to enjoy and capture in photos to create memories.

Holiday Magic in Every Store

Walking into the store, Downtown Apothecary, I was immediately drawn to their Grinch display. It attracted many visitors, who stopped to take photos in front of it because it was such a unique and creative display. Many other stores had festive displays, like Kelly’s Spa, which showcased beautifully decorated Christmas trees in front of their shop, adding to the holiday spirit in the Festival of Lights. Lastly, the Mission Galleria Antique Shoppe had many unique Christmas decorations and items. They had an entire aisle dedicated to Christmas ornaments and tree toppers for tree decorating. Additionally, they have other items, like vintage jewelry, clothing, books, dolls, etc. They also had Christmas aprons, dishes, outfits, jewelry, and many more. There were holiday touches throughout the entire store, from Christmas trees to reindeer, nutcrackers, and festive displays. Outside of their store was a life-sized Santa Claus statue for people to take photos with. Overall, many stores had Christmas decorations that brought out the Christmas spirit. 

Santa’s Savory Bites

For savory foods, there are plenty of restaurants and bars to choose from. However, if you’re craving something more simple, yet satisfying there is the Tamale Factory, which has delicious tamales and Mexican drinks, like Jamaica and Horchata. For Italian cuisine, Antonious Pizza Cafe serves many pizzas, pasta, and sandwiches to choose from. Among the vendors, there are an array of snacks like pretzels, popcorn, and beef jerky. One stand similar to Wetzel Pretzel has salty and savory pretzels, like pepperoni and cheese. For those seeking quick and convenient bites, there is a stand with delicious and flavorful street tacos and ramen perfect for a meal on the go.

Sugar, Spice, and Everything Nice

The best part of the Mission Inn is undoubtedly all the sweet treats they have. From warm beignets, cupcakes, and churros to funnel cake, sweet tamales, kettle corn, and hot chocolate. The selection is almost overwhelming! After much contemplation, I decided to try the churros and they did not disappoint. The churros were perfectly sweet and warm, and had just the right amount of cinnamon. I also tried the strawberry funnel cake and enjoyed it. The funnel cake was warm and crispy, and had fresh strawberries on top. 

Casey’s Cupcakes is another highlight, which has been part of the Mission Inn since 2009. Casey Beau Brown became well-known for appearing on Food Network’s Cupcake Wars and winning with her exceptional flavors and beautiful presentation. Casey’s Cupcakes has many cupcake flavors to choose from, like their rockin red velvet, razzmatazz raspberry, sassy strawberry, and many others. 

Any of these sweet festive treats can be paired with a nice hot cup of hot cocoa. While many of the restaurants and vendors sell hot chocolate, the most famous stand known for their hot chocolate is the gingerbread shop. Their hot chocolate comes in a glass with a chocolate marshmallow rim with whipped cream, sprinkles, and is topped with cute gingerbread cookies. Although the lines for this booth are usually long, many would agree that it’s worth the wait to have a cute cup of hot cocoa while walking around at the Mission Inn Festival of Lights. 

• christmas
• festival of lights
• holidays
• riverside