Riverside, Ca – The 27^th annual Mission Inn Hotel & Spa Festival of Lights returns to downtown Riverside on Friday, Nov. 29 with food, entertainment, a fireworks display and the much-anticipated switch-on ceremony to turn on millions of holiday lights at the historic hotel.

Vendors and attractions open at noon. The switch-on ceremony, produced by The Mission Inn Hotel & Spa, the Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce and the City of Riverside, starts at 4:30 p.m., with fireworks following roughly an hour later. The gathering at the corner of Orange Street and Mission Inn Avenue marks the beginning of the holiday season for Riverside residents.

“The Festival of Lights is a time-honored way to celebrate the kick-off of the holiday season with family and friends,” Mayor Rusty Bailey said. “This beloved event also showcases our historic downtown, which provides an incredible boost to our local businesses.”

More than 750,000 people visit Riverside during the festival to gaze upon the historic Mission Inn covered in more than 5 million holiday lights, decorated with 400 animatronic figures and filled with holiday music. More than 75,000 people attend the annual switch-on ceremony, held each year on the Friday evening after Thanksgiving.

After a welcome and brief remarks from local dignitaries, the Roberts family leads a countdown to the switch-on at dusk. The millions of holiday lights spread out around the Mission Inn and the surrounding area are switched on, and the downtown sky erupts in a fireworks show.

“We are very fortunate in Riverside to enjoy the support of Duane and Kelly Roberts, Keepers of the Inn, who work so hard to make the Festival of Lights so successful,” Mayor Pro Tem Andy Melendrez said. “We look forward to another great event this year.”

The Festival of Lights now attracts people of all ages from across the country after being honored as America’s Best Holiday Festival (2015) and America’s Best Public Lights Display (2014) by the readers of USA TODAY.