Undated photo of some of the displays at the Lightopia event in Hillsboro, Ore.
Courtesy of the city of Hillsboro
Thousands of glittering holiday lights illuminate Gordon Faber Recreation Complex at Hillsboro’s Lightopia for the last time this year. The drive-thru holiday light display, one of the largest free displays in the Portland metro region, will be reimagined next year.
But until Dec. 28, residents can still enjoy the holiday magic in its current format.
Lightopia — located at the complex home to Hillsboro Stadium, Ron Tonkin Field and the under-construction future Hillsboro Hops stadium — is open to cars 5:30-8 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 5:30-9 p.m. Friday through Sunday. The display will be closed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
With no tickets or reservations required this year, visitors can simply show up and motor through the dazzling display of holiday lights.
To enter Lightopia, the city recommends traveling north onto Century Boulevard from Cornell Road. While the display layout has changed from previous years due to the stadium construction, the city emphasized it contains the same number of lights.
The display got its start in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic when the city of Hillsboro was looking for ways to spread holiday cheer without spreading the virus.
According Hillsboro public information officer Cindy Dauer, an average of 20,000 people have gone through Lightopia each of the past five years.
While no plans have been announced for what the display will look like in coming years, the city says it will focus on “spreading the light across the City of Hillsboro, making it more accessible and enjoyable by all.”
“We believe the future remains bright for Lightopia,” Dauer said, “While we are working behind the scenes to determine what the next iteration will be, we can assure the community the lights are not going out.”
