The annual parade, founded by two high school students in 1980, brought together community leaders, performers, and families for a day of celebration on February 14.
Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson poses beneath an archway of playing cards and oversized clocks at the 2025 Mayor's Ball for the Arts, which featured an Alice in Wonderland theme. (Courtesy of the Riverside Arts Council)
The Riverside Arts Council's Mayor's Ball for the Arts returns March 21 with added significance, coming just months after downtown Riverside earned formal recognition as a California Cultural District — a designation that the arts community's years of work helped make possible.
The California Arts Council selected Riverside's Arts and Culture District (ACD) in December as one of only 10 new state-designated Cultural Districts, chosen from a field of more than 80 applicants statewide. The designation runs through 2030 and brings state funding, technical assistance, and joint marketing resources to the downtown corridor. San Bernardino, by comparison, ranked 19th among applicants and did not make the cut.
The district's growing visibility has been years in the making. Last fall, the city completed the Lime Street Bridge mural, a landmark public artwork that now marks the district's entrance — a project artists and city officials described as putting a visible face on Riverside's creative identity.
The Mayor's Ball will be held at The Box at the Fox Entertainment Plaza, 3635 Market St., in the heart of that newly recognized district. Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson will announce the winners live at the event.
This year's "Rock of the Ages" theme invites guests to dress as their favorite rock heroes or come in cocktail attire. Winners in each category are determined entirely by community nomination and public vote, with award categories including Public Artwork, Music Performance, Dance Performance, Literary Arts, Theatre Performance, Art Based Event, and Arts Facilities.
The evening will also feature live and silent auctions with artwork from local artists, curated packages from downtown businesses, and an opportunity drawing. The Mayor's Ball is RAC's primary annual fundraiser, with proceeds supporting free and low-cost arts programming, professional development workshops, youth engagement initiatives, and public events including the monthly Riverside Artswalk.
The annual parade, founded by two high school students in 1980, brought together community leaders, performers, and families for a day of celebration on February 14.
The 33rd annual Riverside Dickens Festival will explore themes of poverty, resilience and community care when it returns to White Park Feb. 21-22, marking a shift toward social equity.
