City Council Cancels Orange Blossom Festival
The City Council voted 6 to 1 this week to do away with the Orange Blossom Festival because of violence at the annual street fair in downtown Riverside last weekend.
Police made several arrests at the street fair, breaking up a fight and citing a woman on suspicion of public intoxication and threatening a peace officer.
The city hopes to organize a new event with a stronger emphasis on Riverside’s history and culture to replace the one organized by the nonprofit Orange Blossom Festival Assn. for 12 years, said city spokeswoman Leanne Johnson.
City officials also want to do away with the weekly nighttime outdoor market the organization runs and are working on alternative events.
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