RivCo Carnival Opens In Lake Elsinore With Rides, Wrestling & Music

LAKE ELSINORE, CA — The Riverside County Carnival will bring gourmet food, rides, games, live wrestling, music and more activities for the whole family this Memorial Day weekend.

The carnival opens Friday afternoon in Lake Elsinore and will run through June 1. Tickets are $10 per day if purchased ahead of time and $15 at the box office.

Organizers are calling the 2025 carnival "the most memorable yet."

Friday night will kick off the seven-day festival with "Swift Night", headlined by The New Romantics, a high-energy Taylor Swift tribute band. The first 1,000 guests will receive free friendship bracelets, so we encourage you to bring your best friends.

Saturday night will celebrate hits from the 80s, 90s and today with headlining band 90s Nation. The first 1,000 guests to this event will get their own Tamagotchi pet.

"So you can relive the digital pet craze while dancing to the soundtrack of your youth," organizers said. "It’s a multigenerational party where retro meets right now — don’t miss it!"

Sunday night is college night, which will honor students and alumni. Monday will celebrate the holiday with Patriotic Night, featuring a flyover and The Springsteen Experience.

To see the themes for the rest of the days, check the carnival's schedule here.

"This event was created by the community, for the community," founder Alex Kowalkoski said. "We're proud to offer something fun and affordable, especially in an economic climate where family outings are becoming more difficult."

Kowalkoski said that an estimated 15,000 people visited the carnival last year.

The carnival will run May 23-26 and May 30-June 1 at the Lake Elsinore Outlets Mall, 17600 Collier Ave., just off of Interstate 15. Access on Fridays will be available beginning at 4 p.m., while on the other days, the gates will open at 1 p.m., closing between 10 and 11 p.m.

City News Service contributed to this report.