One of Southern California's most prominent seasonal hospitality events returns this fall, as The Mission Inn Hotel & Spa in downtown Riverside brings back its Festival of Lights from Nov. 21, 2026, through Jan. 3, 2027. Now in its 34th year—and coinciding with the property's 150th anniversary—the event represents a significant seasonal revenue driver for the 238-room National Historic Landmark, which operates six restaurants and lounges alongside its hotel and spa operations.
New Activations This Season
Two additions stand out for hospitality operators watching how legacy properties evolve their signature events. The hotel is opening an all-new Festival of Lights gift shop that will remain open year-round, extending the event's retail revenue potential well beyond the six-week holiday window. Additionally, the property is partnering with Build-A-Bear Workshop® for the first time, hosting pop-up experiences throughout the season—a model of brand collaboration increasingly used by full-service hotels to deepen guest engagement and attract families with children.
The season opens with a free public Switch-On Ceremony on Nov. 21, complete with a fireworks show and live performances—a community-oriented strategy that drives foot traffic to the property and surrounding downtown businesses. For paying guests, the hotel has structured a tiered experience framework: hotel stays unlock exclusive perks including resort credit and in-room Christmas trees, while bookable VIP add-ons—Breakfast with Santa, a Memories with Santa Photo Studio, and the Festival of Lights & Delights Tour—create additional per-guest revenue opportunities across both hotel guests and local day visitors.
Hospitality & F&B Integration
Food and beverage programming is woven throughout the festival footprint. The property's Holiday Market features fresh hot cocoa and themed retail, and the returning lobby Gingerbread House anchors the signature décor. With six on-site restaurants and lounges, the Mission Inn is well-positioned to convert festival foot traffic into dining covers—a dynamic that independent operators and hotel F&B directors in seasonal destination markets increasingly look to replicate. The property is managed by Pyramid Global Hospitality and owned by the San Manuel Investment Authority.
"Each year, the Festival of Lights creates a sense of wonder and joy that brings our community together during the holiday season," said Alfredo Anguiano, General Manager at The Mission Inn. "We're thrilled to welcome new and returning guests back to experience the original magic and create everlasting memories."
The festival model—anchored by a marquee free event, layered with ticketed VIP experiences, and supported by on-site F&B and retail—offers a replicable blueprint for hospitality operators building seasonal programming. As experiential travel demand continues to drive occupancy decisions, properties that package immersive, multi-night reasons to stay are finding a competitive edge in the shoulder and holiday seasons. Industry observers tracking restaurant and hotel F&B strategy will note how the Mission Inn's approach ties dining, retail, and entertainment into a single cohesive revenue ecosystem rather than treating each as a standalone offering.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
