Hillsboro: Free ‘Art in the Streets’ Festival Proposed for Aug. 7, 2027, with Lightopia Funds

Hillsboro’s Special Events team wants to stage a free, one-day downtown festival called “Art in the Streets” on Saturday, Aug. 7, 2027, and a staff memo says it would be paid for with money from Lightopia, which the memo calls “the discontinued winter event.” The Parks & Recreation Commission is asked to consider approving the event’s permit when it meets at 8 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 12.

The two-page memo in the Nov. 12 commission packet (pages 5–6) places the event in Civic Center Plaza and on Main Street between 1st and 3rd avenues. It would run from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., with street closures starting “the Friday prior,” which is Aug. 6, 2027, and lasting through midnight on Saturday.

That combination is why the event lands before the commission at all. The memo, from Special Events Supervisor Kerstin Motsch-Reiter and Senior Parks Manager Nancy Nye, says a vote is required because it is a “new event with street closure, and alcohol sales.”

A downtown summer slot after the chalk festival

The memo’s background section starts with a festival that has ended. It says the Washington County nonprofit Tualatin Valley Creates (TVC) held its final chalk-art event in Hillsboro in the summer of 2025, after it “had undergone substantial organizational changes.” TVC then “made the difficult decision to sunset the event,” the memo says, and to focus on smaller chalk art activities in the community.

The memo spells that festival “La Strada de Pasteilli.” The Hillsboro Downtown Partnership’s annual report in the city’s July 21 council packet (page 150) names it the La Strada dei Pastelli Chalk Art Festival and calls July 2025 its final year. The partnership’s report says that weekend drew more than 20,000 visitors downtown.

The city, the memo says, “is stepping-in to present an alternative summer event” that could grow into a signature art event for the Downtown Cultural Arts District. Visitors would get guided instruction and live demonstrations, with hands-on activities “potentially including pottery and painting to calligraphy.” The memo also lists live music and performances, artisan booths and food and beverage vendors.

One funding line, and one word about Lightopia

The memo’s budget section is a single sentence: “Funds from the discontinued winter event, Lightopia, will be redirected to support this new summer event.” It gives no dollar amount, and it does not explain why Lightopia is now described as discontinued. It also names no sponsors.

That wording differs from what the city told residents a year ago. An archived copy of the city’s winter events page from Dec. 17, 2025, listed the free drive-through light display at the Gordon Faber Recreation Complex from Dec. 9 to Dec. 28. It said 2025 would be Lightopia’s final year at that site, “but the lights are not going out,” and that the event was “being reimagined for 2026,” with an announcement expected in fall 2026.

The current winter events page, checked Nov. 6, lists the Winter Village ice rink, the Hillsboro Holly Days Celebration and Snow Much Fun. It does not list Lightopia. Those events, with their dates and prices, are in our holiday events guide.

How the calendar would change

Put together, these records show what would change on the city’s event calendar. The table below uses each document’s own wording.

How to speak at the Nov. 12 meeting

Residents who want a say can do it at the start of the meeting. The agenda puts public comment first, before the festival item, which is listed under New Business. Each speaker gets three minutes.

The meeting is at the Parks & Recreation Administration Office and on Zoom, meeting ID 811 4852 7844; the passcode and link are on the agenda. To speak in person, fill out a yellow card at the back of the room and hand it to the clerk. Anyone with a written statement should bring 10 copies.

Virtual speakers must register by 3 p.m. the day before, which is Wednesday, Nov. 11. They give their name and phone number, or Zoom name, to the clerk at [email protected] or 503-615-3474. Nov. 11 is Veterans Day, and the city’s home page says most city facilities will be closed. The agenda does not say whether that changes the deadline.

Free interpreters, including sign language, can be arranged by calling 503-681-6100 or TTY 503-681-6284 at least 72 hours ahead. By our calculation, that means by 8 a.m. Monday, Nov. 9.

If the commission approves, more public input would follow. The memo says staff have held “preliminary conversations” with the Hillsboro Downtown Partnership about including local businesses and artists, and that an “in-depth community engagement plan will be rolled out” if the commission says yes. For now, the memo’s line for the event’s web page reads “Coming Soon.”

Top image: Illustrative image, 2013: an artist works on a street painting at a festival in San Rafael, California. Photo: MARELBU, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped).