Safety Tips to Keep in Mind During the Festival of Lights in Riverside

Published: 11/22/2022

One major perk of living in Riverside is the amount of large community events that take place throughout the year.  But with busy sporting events, concerts, festivals, and other large gatherings, people may sometimes become vulnerable to safety risks. Protect yourself, your family, and your valuables when in a packed crowd. Here are a few tips to keep in mind:

1. Plan Out Your Trip: Avoid the rush by planning ahead. Research the event floorplan ahead of time to have an idea of where everything is located. Know where to park and where things are to avoid unnecessary rushing and crowd disturbance. Some streets near the event will be closed so plan accordingly. Visit RiversideFestivalofLights.com for details.
    
2. Secure Your Personal Belongings: Do not leave valuables in your vehicle and make sure anything important in the vehicle is hidden. Additionally, make sure all valuables you may be carrying are secure and accounted for as there will be crowds.
    
3. Be Aware of Your Surroundings: Obey all traffic plans and safety measures that are in place. Take note of designated pathways, exits and entrances. Need help finding something at the event? Visit one of the designated Info Stations located on Mission Inn Ave.
    
4. With A Group? Plan a Meetup Location: In the event of separation or emergency, plan out a time and place to meet. If your phone battery dies or you don’t have service, make sure you have a regroup plan in place.
    
5. See Something? Say Something! Help keep everyone safe by reporting any suspicious or illegal behavior. If you see something that does not seem quite right, say something. In the case of an emergency, call 911. Report non-emergencies to (951) 354-2007.
    
6. Sign up for Riverside Alert: Riverside Alert allows the City of Riverside to provide you with critical information quickly in a variety of situations, such as unexpected road closures, utility outages, missing persons and evacuations of buildings or neighborhoods. Visit RiversideAlert.com to sign up.