RIVERSIDE (CNS) - The famed "Festival of Lights" returns to
Riverside for the Christmas season, with the traditional switch-on ceremony --
a crowd favorite -- slated for tonight to mark the start of the fest, for the
first time since 2019."The Festival of Lights has been a joyous occasion for Riverside
families for three decades,'' Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson said. "It is
gratifying to see that Riversiders will once again be able to gather together
for the switch-on ceremony."Switch-on events were rescinded in November 2020 and November 2021.
The 2020 event was prohibited by state regulations on public gatherings because
of COVID, and the City Council decided to forgo the 2021 switch-on as a
precautionary measure.The ceremonies often draw up to 75,000 people outside the
