As the largest metropolitan center of the Inland Empire in Southern California, the city of Riverside offers many different exciting and breathtaking entertainment experience that you will never forget.

Riverside is the Southern California's third largest suburban retail center. It is a magnet for high-end retail. Such success is attributable to the new national retail and restaurant chain additions to the Riverside Plaza, Canyon Crossings and the Galleria at Tyler. The downtown offers a number of fine dining options, many of which specialize in international cuisine, and unique shopping.

Every year, Riverside residents celebrate a number of festivals. The Riverside International Film Festival, which occurs every spring, promotes Riverside's role as an international city and showcases films from India, South Korea, Japan, Europe and Mexico.

Riverside's most notable festival is the annual Festival of Lights, a holiday celebration which takes place at the beautiful Mission Inn Hotel & Spa in downtown Riverside. More than three million twinkling lights and over four-hundred figures adorn the early 20th century, Spanish-style structure. The festival begins the day after Thanksgiving and continues for the entire Holiday season, drawing more than 250,000 visitors to the downtown.

And the annual Riverside Dickens Festival, which highlights the life and times of the literary master, is held in Riverside's historic downtown. The Festival is a winter celebration including street performers, dramatic and musical performances, pageants, and symposiums.

Besides those typical entertainment experience, Riverside offers a variety of unique arts and cultural attractions as well. The Riverside Art Museum showcases works at its historic location in downtown Riverside - the building was designed by renowned architect Julia Morgan, designer of the famous Hearst Castle on California's Central Coast. And the Riverside Metropolitan Museum exhibits natural and cultural history relevant to our community and to our sister cities around the world. The Riverside County Philharmonic is considered to be one of the premier orchestras in Southern California. The 72-member orchestra performs classical, modern, and contemporary arrangements. The Sweeney Art Gallery provides the community with contemporary and modern art, and includes the work of renowned artists such as Roy Lichtenstein and Alexander Calder. The California Museum of Photography in downtown Riverside, likewise provides a wonderful outlet for the visual arts, and plays a progressive role in redefining and evolving contemporary art. The city is proactive in providing opportunities Riverside County Philharmonic and benefits to aspiring artists. Organizations such as the Riverside Arts Council offer arts residencies in schools and manage financial grants to the Riverside art world.

The future will see an even more prominent role for the arts in Riverside, as the recently renovated Fox Performing Arts Center becomes one of the premier performing arts venues in Southern California.

The city of Riverside has many upscale fine dining establishments as well. Eash of them offer unqiue dining experience that will give you and your love ones an unforgettable evening.