Tonight, marigolds, papel picado and family photographs go up at The Barn on Sixth Street for Norco's Día de los Muertos. Six weeks from now, on December 12, the Horsetown Parade of Lights ends its route a few hundred feet away, turning off Sixth Street into Gate A of the same park. Every city event between those two nights takes place at the George A. Ingalls Equestrian Event Center.
The November events mostly ask you to show up. The December events ask you to do something in November: buy tickets online for a set time slot, or email a parade entry form by the end of the month.
Tonight at The Barn, no ticket needed
The City of Norco's Día de los Muertos celebration runs Thursday, November 5, from 6 to 8 p.m. at The Barn at Ingalls Event Center, 96 Sixth Street. Admission and parking are free, and you don't need to register.
The city invites attendees to bring photos of departed family members and pets to place on a community altar, and to come in colorful outfits and cheerful skull makeup. One contest is on the program, Most Festive Fashion, judged on attire, makeup or both. Food and refreshments will be sold on site. The event is alcohol-free, and pets need to stay on a leash. Sponsors include Nova Landscape Group, Raising Cane's and Norco Family Funeral Home.
If you need a modification or accommodation to attend, the city asks you to contact it at least 48 hours ahead. That same request appears on every event page this season, so if you're planning for Veterans Day or the Christmas Festival, now is the time to call.
One park, two front doors
The address on each listing tells you which side of the park to aim for. The Barn and The Turf sit on Sixth Street. The arenas, the Veterans Memorial Plaza and Gate A use the Crestview Drive address.
| Date | Event | Where on the grounds | Address on the listing | What it takes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu, Nov 5 | Día de los Muertos | The Barn | 96 Sixth Street | Free, no registration |
| Wed, Nov 11 | Veterans Day ceremony and picnic | Veterans Memorial Plaza, then Arena Level | 3737 Crestview Drive | Free, arrive by 9:45 a.m. |
| Sun, Nov 15 | Kids Rodeo Fun Day | The Arenas | 3737 Crestview Drive | $50, online registration |
| Sat, Dec 12 | Christmas Festival and Parade of Lights | The Barn and The Turf, parade ends at Gate A | 96 and 97 Sixth Street | Free admission, tickets for some activities |
Even the December festival, held on the Sixth Street side, sends general parking to Gate A off Crestview Drive. Accessible parking for that day is at Pikes Peak Park on Sixth Street.
November 11, at the plaza that carries his name
The city's Veterans Day ceremony starts at 10 a.m. Wednesday, November 11, at the George A. Ingalls Veterans Memorial Plaza. Seating is limited, and the city asks people to arrive by 9:45 a.m. and park at Gate A. The program includes speeches, live performances and recognition of local veterans. Afterward, a free Picnic in the Park on the Arena Level comes with BBQ from the Norco Lions Club. Personal BBQs and alcohol aren't allowed, ice chests may be searched, and pets must be leashed.
Hearing the name Ingalls all season, it helps to know whose name it is. The city's plaza page describes George A. Ingalls as a Norco resident who went to Norco Junior High and Corona High School and was president of the youth group at the Community Church of Norco. He served as an Army Specialist Fourth Class with the 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, according to the Military Times Hall of Valor. Near Duc Pho, Vietnam, on April 16, 1967, in the city's words, he "threw himself onto a grenade to save the lives of his squad members." He received the Medal of Honor posthumously, under Army General Orders No. 11 dated February 6, 1969. Because of that sacrifice, Norco named its largest park for him.
On November 11, the plaza is set up for exactly this kind of gathering:
- A 70-foot flagpole at the center of the "Circle of Honor," a ring of bricks recognizing veterans
- The "Lest We Forget" wall, which honors Norco veterans who died in service
- An amphitheater built for ceremonies
- Black granite monoliths for each branch of the armed services, a 375-square-foot American flag, a circular arbor, and POW/MIA and Gold Star Families memorials
- The Gold Star Blue Star Families Monument, dedicated June 12, 2022, with one illuminated gold star between two blue stars and a bench for Norco's Blue Star families
The Veterans Day date has history at this spot. City Council minutes show the memorial's dedication ceremony was scheduled for November 11, 2014, at 10 a.m., the same hour as this year's ceremony. If you'd like to add a family member's name to the Circle of Honor, the city runs a military brick program.
November 15, the first event that needs a reservation
Four days later, the arenas host the season's first event that requires signing up in advance. Kids Rodeo Fun Day runs Sunday, November 15, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., with sheep riding, roping dummies, beginner poles and barrels, crafts and a chance to meet a rodeo bullfighter. Riding gear is provided, and no experience is needed.
The limits are specific. Registration through Eventbrite is required. Spots are open to children 7 and under who weigh less than 65 pounds, and the fee is $50 per child with no refunds. A parent or legal guardian has to stay on site for the whole event. Lunch and a participation ribbon come with registration.
The December calendar comes due in November
From here, most of the season's planning happens before the season itself. The Christmas Festival and Parade of Lights is one day, Saturday, December 12, but its deadlines start in November.
- November 1, 1 p.m.: Christmas Festival tickets went on sale. Breakfast with Santa costs $8 per person and includes breakfast, crafts and a printed photo with Santa. You pick a 60-minute slot starting at 7:30, 8:45, 10 or 11:15 a.m. Tickets are sold online only, not at the door, and the city notes they may sell out.
- The 2–3:30 p.m. Gingerbread Build works the same way. It's $35 for a family of five, with one gingerbread house and a printed photo with Santa, plus $20 for each extra house. Tickets are limited and sold online only.
- November 28, 1–4 p.m.: Small Business Saturday at Norco Brewing Co. The Norco Area Chamber of Commerce calendar lists a shop-local event with a passport and a prize drawing.
- November 30: parade entries are due. Entry forms for the 2026 Horsetown Parade of Lights go by email to [email protected], and every entry needs approval.
Some things can wait until the day itself. Festival admission is free, and so is the 5 p.m. parade. Activity wristbands cost $10 and are sold online and at the gate until 4 p.m. Anyone joining an activity needs one, including parents accompanying young children.
What a Norco parade entry looks like
This year's theme is "Christmas Through the Decades." The parade steps off at 5 p.m. sharp and heads east on Sixth Street into the Ingalls Event Center through Gate A. Entrants check in at Sixth Street and Corona Avenue at 3 p.m. and must be in their numbered spot by 4:30 p.m.
The entry categories follow Horsetown USA's horse culture. Besides floats, marching bands and novelty entries, the equestrian category has its own subcategories: horse-drawn pony, mini, donkey or mule; mounted individual; junior mounted group for ages 1 through 17; open mounted group; and equestrian novelty group. The packet's main rules:
- Every entry needs holiday lighting. The packet's words are "The more the merrier!"
- Entries keep moving with no gaps and no stopping to perform.
- No throwing or handing out candy or trinkets. Doing so means immediate disqualification.
- No live or recorded music until an entry leaves the Corona Avenue staging area.
- The parade has one selected Santa Claus, so no other Santas may enter.
- Equestrian riders 17 and under wear helmets, and riders 9 and under march with an adult.
- Every equestrian entry submits a Healthy Horse Waiver, and every participant signs the city's waiver.
The horse waiver asks whether the horse has had a fever in the past 72 hours or contact with a known sick horse in the past 14 days. Before signing up, read the full packet for the rules that apply to your type of entry.
December 12 road closures
On parade day, three road closures shape the drive in and out of town:
- Sixth Street, Crestview Drive to Pikes Peak Drive: closed to vehicles from 7 a.m. to about 10 p.m. for festival foot traffic
- Sixth Street, Valley View Avenue to Crestview Drive: closed from 2 p.m. to about 8 p.m. for the parade
- Vandermolen Drive at Crestview Drive: closed from 5:30 p.m. to about 8 p.m.
After finishing the route, parade entrants are told to leave by Fifth or Seventh Street rather than heading west on Sixth. If you live near the route, plan on leaving Sixth Street by early afternoon that day.
The Christmas Festival tickets and the November 30 parade deadline are the first holiday decisions of the season, and the Ingalls Event Center hosts most of what follows. If you have questions about Norco this season, or want to talk through what's ahead for your home in Horsetown USA, reach out to Lisa Costa. Let's Connect.
