Twelfth Night

A Victorian Twelfth Night Celebration and Progressive Dinner is back! After a one-year hiatus, this much loved holiday tradition, sponsored by the Old Riverside Foundation (ORF) has returned with a new venue of homes, but the same hospitality and Twelfth Night traditions.

The event was a huge success. Stay tuned for information regarding next year’s event in January, 2013.

This year’s event will be hosted for one night only, Saturday, January 7th, with staging set at the Isaak Walton Building in historic Fairmont Park. This charming building, constructed in the 1940s to look like a mountain lodge, sets the mood for seasonal charm as Twelfth Night guests gather to begin their evening of festivities. Horse-drawn carriages will meet guests at the Walton Building and transport them to each of the three featured homes that will provide a four course meal of hors d’oeuvre, soup, entree, and dessert in the progressive dinner tradition.

Three dinner sittings are scheduled beginning at 5:30 p.m. The main dinner setting is the Fred H. Speich House, a 1912 late Mission Revival home that features an inviting entrance for holiday guests with an expansive front porch framed by three Mission Revival arches. All three homes will feature traditional holiday décor and live music.

Guests are encouraged to join in the spirit of the Twelfth Night Celebration by wearing Victorian dress or semi-formal attire. Once known as “Old Christmas,” the Twelfth Night tradition culminated 12 days of midwinter festivals.

Tickets for this event are $85 per person and are available through through ORF’s website at www.oldriverside.org or by mail to ORF, P.O. Box 601, Riverside, CA 92502. Seating is limited, so early reservations are highly recommended. Proceeds raised from this event benefit historic preservation projects in Riverside and the surrounding area.