Oceanside CA—Decemebr 15 and 16 are the last two days to take advantage of Metrolink’s hassle-free, convenient and affordable service to the Festival of Lights at the Riverside Mission Inn Hotel and Spa. The Festival of Lights will continue until Jan. 6, but Metrolink’s special service to the event will end this weekend.
The special trains are timed to arrive in Riverside in the late afternoon on Friday and Saturday and depart Riverside after 8 p.m. Train times can be found at www.metrolinktrains.com/FOL. The Riverside Transit Agency will provide free shuttles operating between the Riverside-Downtown Station and the Festival of Lights.
The Festival of Lights includes more than 400 animated figures including angels, elves and Dickens carolers, appearances by Santa Claus, the castle-like hotel illuminated with 5 million holiday lights, the world’s largest man-made mistletoe, horse-drawn carriage rides, freshly fallen snow, elaborately decorated Christmas trees in the lobby and throughout the hotel and delectable holiday confections.
This is the second year that Metrolink has run special trains to the Festival of Lights. Last year’s service was popular, with many trains at capacity. This year, Metrolink has increased service by 133 percent to give more people the opportunity to enjoy this exciting holiday event without worrying about traffic or parking.
Metrolink’s special train service to the Festival of Lights is funded by the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) Board and by the Mobile Source Air Pollution Reduction Review Committee (MSRC).