From Solvang’s Julefest to Riverside’s Festival of Lights, holiday festivals delight.
There’s something about twinkle lights that banishes any case of the bah humbugs. Our country’s prolific (and tangled) strings of lights were inspired by Germany’s tradition of candlelit Christmas trees. The advent of electricity, of course, made the whole flickering-flame-in-flammable-tree thing a considerably safer way to celebrate. What Thomas Edison protege Edward Hibberd Johnson began when he created the first string of electric tree lights in the 1880s, is a spectacle that continues today as cities and towns light up the night with twinkling strands.
Here are four destination-worthy holiday festivals across our Golden State, with illuminations impressive enough to set your spirits ablaze.
1 Festival of Lights, Riverside
The 19th-century Mission Inn Hotel & Spa in Riverside was facing demolition when Kelly and Duane Roberts swooped in to save the historic property, launching a massive renovation project that reopened the hotel in 1992 and began a marvelous holiday tradition. This season marks the 25th anniversary of the Festival of Lights, which USA Today has called the best public lights display in the nation. The free festival draws more than half a million visitors each year.
This year’s celebration promises to be even more spectacular than ever. The Nov. 24 switch-on ceremony — which illuminated 5 million colorful lights — included a fireworks extravaganza with 100 pounds of confetti showered from the hotel’s century-old cannons, 200-plus animated characters and a vintage airplane flyover of the property.
The dazzlement, which continues through Jan. 6, includes actual snow, an illuminated Candy Lane and a life-size Spanish-style gingerbread house that replicates the architecture of the Mission Inn. Plus: horsedrawn carriage rides, live music, an art market, a Ferris wheel, a carousel, train rides, the world’s largest mistletoe and Santa photo ops every day except Dec. 25. (We hear he has another commitment that day.)
How big a deal is this? Riverside’s 2018 Rose Parade float showcases the Mission Inn and honors the Festival of Lights’ impact on the city.
Find details on festival entertainment, events and parking maps at www.riversideca.gov/fol. Find Mission Inn hotel information at www.missioninn.com.
2 BOLD, Beverly Hills
Beverly Hills glitters even in broad daylight. But during the holidays, the illumination displays go off the charts. You may have missed the official Rodeo Drive Holiday Lighting Celebration, which kicked things off on Nov. 16 in true L.A. style, with emcee Vanessa Lachey, music by Robin Thicke and fireworks. But there are many more ways to soak up the city’s holiday glow this season, thanks to the glitzy district’s BOLD Holidays celebration. In its holiday season incarnation, BOLD, which began as a “Beverly Hills Open Later Days” community engagement campaign, fills the streets with geometric light installations, art and special holiday events.
From now through Jan. 5, Rodeo Drive will be illuminated by stunning Baccarat chandeliers. Food trucks will line the 200 block, and visitors can take holiday pics in a new artistic photo installation. Catch DJ performances on Saturday nights. Take an art walk with Mayor Lili Bosse or join a free public holiday meditation session with Deepak Chopra. Join the street-side community Hanukkah celebration, and check out weekend entertainment that you will not see anywhere else — from live haute couture fashion sketches to candy cane roller ladies and ice queens.
Yes, you are in Beverly Hills. Find details at lovebeverlyhills.com/boldholidays.
3 Lighted Boat Parade, Santa Cruz
The Santa Cruz Harbor’s annual nautical festivities send elaborately decorated, illuminated boats floating through the harbor after sunset. It’s a local favorite, with boat owners going all out on their holiday-themed decor.
The 32nd annual parade, which has a “Holiday Magic!” theme, gets underway at 5:30 p.m. Saturday. Visitors and locals alike gather at the harbor’s edge and along the bridge above, toting hot drinks and treats to enjoy as they watch for their favorite boats. The lights reflect on the rippling water and create a double-vision effect, as the little ones gaze wide-eyed in amazement.
You’ll find details at www.club.scyc.org/cruising/lighted-boat-parade.
4 Julefest, Solvang
The self-styled Danish capital of America is twinkle-lit year-round, but over the holidays things really sparkle. This half-timbered enclave celebrates the season with a Julefest that runs Friday through Jan. 5 and opens with a tree lighting ceremony in Solvang Park, complete with live music, ballerinas, carolers and the arrival of the big Claus himself. That gigantic Christmas tree, by the way, is not a real tree anymore — LEDs not only illuminate the tree, they are the tree.
The December festivities include free candlelit walking tours led by costumed guides, Nisse Adventures — a kid-friendly treasure hunt for the Jule Nisse elves hidden around town — and a new Skål Stroll ($45) Dec. 9-10 that features 16 local breweries and wineries. (Some of those winemakers have been brushing up on their gløgg skills, too.) There’s live music, a holiday lights tour and plenty of opportunities to mingle with Kringle.
A massive bonfire caps off the festivities on Jan. 5, just as the post-holiday doldrums set in. The massive pile of Christmas trees that accumulate in the field next to the Old Mission Santa Ines every year will go up in flames — closely supervised by county fire officials — giving the Julefest a toasty coda, with live music and refreshment carts. Consider it a fresh start to the new year.
Find schedules and lodging information at www. solvangusa.com/things-todo/solvang-julefest/.