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A favorite of Dickens readers and Victorian Era enthusiasts alike, the Riverside Dickens Festival is a local gem.
For 21 years, the Riverside Dickens Festival has attracted thousands of attendees. At the two-day festival, attendees can enjoy a number of different events and activities, all designed to “promote literacy, provide educational entertainment, and expand awareness of social similarities between Victorian times and the present,” according to the Riverside Convention & Visitors Bureau.
The event kicks off on February 21 with Pickwick’s Pub Night (so named for Dickens’s novel The Pickwick Papers). On February 22 and 23, the festival will be in full force in downtown Riverside.
The festival will include lecturers on Charles Dickens and the Victorian Era, The Royal Victorian Tea Room & Music Hall, Oliver’s Alley (a place for kids under 12), performances of the trial of Jack the Ripper, and Mr. Fezziwig’s Ball. This year, you also have the opportunity to host an Author’s Salon in your home with Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, Edgar Allen Poe, or H.G. Wells.
To learn more and to purchase tickets for the various events, visit the Riverside Dickens Festival special events page.
Come find out why The Press-Enterprise readers voted the Riverside Dickens Festival the best festival in the area! We hope to see you there.
