YEARLY ON OR AROUND CHARLES DICKENS’ BIRTHDAY-FEBRUARY 7TH
Each year the city of Riverside, California hosts the Dickens Festival. The festival celebrates the life of the illustrious author Charles Dickens. The festival is now 26 years old and each year there are more offerings and fun things to do. It’s usually scheduled very close to February 7, which is Charles Dicken’s birthday.
This year, during the Dickens Festival, I found myself in downtown Riverside working on a photo shoot and decided to make my way over to the street festival portion of the festival. It was a Saturday and we had just come through the tail end of several huge rainstorms that lasted for two weeks and drenched Southern California.
The sun was out with beautiful puffy clouds passing over and the weather was perfect. I also noticed that a row of portable restrooms were available, which was really nice and there was access for those of various abilities. The scene was full of people walking down the main thoroughfare, eating Victorian treats such as homemade scones and tea and shopping at the unique vendor stalls. There were people dressed up in all sorts of beautiful Victorian and Steampunk regalia. It was a feast for the eyes. If you love Cosplay, this is another great place to meet with your teams.
The stalls were varied and fascinating. There was vintage jewelry, books, magic charms, a phrenologist, toys and clothing. There were stalls where you could wardrobe yourself in Victorian fashion or Steampunk fashion with prices ranging from 100.00 to 300.00 for the complete outfit.
There were several venues set up for performances portraying characters in Dicken’s works. When you enter the venues, you are immersed into the world of Dickens and Victorian England. Actors stay in character and draw you into the experience so much that you forget you have just strolled in from Riverside, California circa 2019. You can meet other great authors of the era such as Edgar Allen Poe, Mary Shelley, Nicola Tesla and Jules Verne. There was the Royal Victorian Theatre, The Tea Corner and Hyde Park Corner, just to name a few. As I strolled down mainstream there were more than enough different and engaging performances to enjoy.
This is a family event and children have more than enough to do and see. I stopped to watch a Punch and Judy puppet show and when I turned around, I was also able to catch Queen Victoria in full regalia with her court promenading as well. Several people curtsied as she passed. This is just a brief snapshot of the Festival. There is so much to do and it’s well worth the a weekend of your time if you love the works of Charles Dickens and want to immerse yourself in the era in which he lived and his famous literary works.
For the best experience, I highly recommend staying at the historic Mission Inn which is adjacent to the festivities. It’s easy to walk to everything from this location and you can easily go back to the hotel whenever you need to rest.
For more information go to: http://dickensfest.com