A year ago, the people who run Reading's Christmas on the Mountain thought the 2025 season might be the display's last. The city wanted to rebuild the old Hillside Pool next to it, and nobody knew how much ground the lights would still have.
On September 14, Reading City Council approved the contract for that rebuild. The city's agenda memo for that vote describes the new pool property as something "partnered with Christmas on the Mountain." The project once seen as the biggest threat to the display is now being designed with the display in mind.
The display opens Black Friday, November 27, at Hillside Playground, 459 N. 14th St. It is the last season before the splash park is due next door.
The Warning Came Late In The Summer Of 2025
The worry started with a single phone call. "Late this summer, we were informed by a City of Reading official that upcoming construction and renovations to the Hillside Pool would require us to revisit the size, scope, and potentially the future of Christmas on the Mountain," organizer Tim Profit, president of the Savage Auto Group, said in a statement reported by Berks Weekly in November 2025.
His concern was space. "A significant reduction in that footprint would make it extremely difficult to produce the experience our community has come to love," Profit told the same outlet.
Mayor Eddie Morán replied in the same report that "significant federal grant funding will allow us to make improvements to Hillside park that everyone will benefit from and that will make Christmas on the Mountain even more enjoyable." When the 2025 season opened, those two statements were still open questions.
The 2025 season then started a day late. The Reading Eagle reported that high winds damaged decorations, so the November 28 opening night was postponed. Volunteers worked through the night and opened the display Saturday. In that article, Sgt. Major Laureano Perez, who oversees the Reading High School Marine Corps JROTC unit that builds the display, said the cadets would stay with it whatever form it took. "We adapt, we overcome, and we'll continue the mission," he told the Eagle.
Two Fires Pushed The Pool Project Back A Year
The pool project took longer than planned, and the delay is part of why this winter still looks familiar. In October 2024, the city announced a federal grant and expected construction to finish in spring 2026, with total funding of $3,962,038.30.
That date slipped. The former pool house was damaged by fire twice, most recently in an April 28, 2026 arson. The city's design engineer then had to run a new structural analysis to see whether the building could still be repaired as planned, according to the Reading Eagle's September report. City capital projects manager David W. Anspach III told the paper the city had expected to finish the splash park this year.
The project also grew. Anspach told the Eagle that a fairly small splash pad expanded once the city secured more federal money. On September 14, Council approved a $4,531,000 contract with Flyway Construction. The council agenda lists the funding as a $1,962,038.30 Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership grant plus $2,568,961.70 shifted from the 2027 capital budget. The target completion date is Memorial Day 2027.
The plan is now about $570,000 larger than the 2024 estimate and finishes a year later than first expected. It also adds the kinds of facilities a winter light show could use.
What The City Has In Mind For The Lights
The September agenda memo says the city intends to partner the pool property improvements with the display, and that the renovated buildings and parking are under consideration for winter use:
"It is further intended that the property improvements are partnered with Christmas on the Mountain to enhance the seasonal experience. Buildings and Parking are under consideration to be utilized not only to extend the seasons utilized but to provide safety and convenience features for the winter event."
The Reading Eagle reported that the city is working on an agreement with the nonprofit that would let the display expand onto the former pool property and use its parking, restrooms and concession facilities.
Here is what the renovated pool property is slated to include, along with how each piece could serve a December visit if the agreement goes through:
| Planned at the former Hillside Pool | Possible winter use under the proposed agreement |
|---|---|
| 37 off-street parking spaces in two lots | Parking right next to the display |
| Renovated restroom facility | Restrooms on site |
| Renovated concession stand, pavilions and office | Buildings usable beyond the summer season |
| Tiered hillside seating, shade pergola and five party decks | Places to gather inside the grounds |
| Paved areas for food vendors and small concerts | Room for event programming beyond summer |
| ADA access throughout the property | Accessible paths across the site |
Anspach described the goal in the Eagle's September report: "The project was envisioned to provide the next-level event space." He said the paved areas could host food vendors, small concerts and other events beyond the splash pad's Memorial Day to Labor Day season.
In the summer, the splash pad will charge a fee. The agenda memo estimates $10 to $15 a year per household of up to four people, paid through the Recreation Commission like Schlegel Pool. The light display stays free.
This Season Runs On The Ground It Has Always Used
Until the Memorial Day 2027 deadline, the lights stay on Hillside Playground. Here is the 2026 schedule from the Christmas on the Mountain website:
- Dates: Friday, November 27, through Wednesday, December 23, 2026
- Sunday and Tuesday through Thursday: 5 to 9 p.m.
- Friday and Saturday: 5 to 10 p.m.
- Monday: Closed
- Cost: Free admission and free parking. Follow the signs and on-site directions when you arrive.
The Monday closure is new this year. The 2025 season closed only on select Mondays. If your family goes on a weeknight, Tuesday is now the earliest night of the week.
The display is a walk-through. The organizers say recent seasons have had more than five million lights and pixels, plus light shows and photo spots. They estimate close to 50,000 visitors in a season with good weather.
The display has been rescued before. When the Hillside Playground Association's long-running display was in jeopardy in 2015, local businesses, volunteers and Reading High School's Marine Corps JROTC stepped in to keep it going. Savage Auto Group and Axcess Industries provide most of the funding. Hoober Produce, Mike's Sandwich Shop and Mimmo's are also listed as supporters.
The cadets do the work. Last year, Perez told the Reading Eagle that setup started September 28 with a park cleanup involving about 85 students, and that light installation began in mid-October. "The kids set it all up, absolutely, start to finish," he said. "They run it, set it up, clean the park, operate it all the way to Dec. 23, and then help with the teardown." Most of the lights you will see on Black Friday went up during a school fall semester.
The Weekend Before Opening Starts Downtown
The display opens six days after downtown Reading starts its own season. The City of Reading's Holiday Parade on Penn Street steps off Saturday, November 21, at 10 a.m. This year's theme is "Winter Wonderland."
WFMZ reported that free Winter Wonderland community skating returns to Santander Arena right after the parade and runs through January. The city handles sign-up details.
The order of the next few weeks is set:
- Saturday, November 21: Holiday Parade on Penn Street at 10 a.m., then skating at Santander Arena.
- Friday, November 27: Christmas on the Mountain opens at 5 p.m. at Hillside Playground.
- Wednesday, December 23: Last night of the display before the cadets take it down.
- Memorial Day 2027: Target completion for the Hillside splash park next door.
Last November, the display's organizer could not say whether it had a future on North 14th Street. The city's September plan names the display as an intended partner for the pool property and lists its renovated buildings and 37 parking spaces as under consideration for the winter event, with the work due by Memorial Day 2027.
Big changes on one city block, such as a $4.5 million park, a new event space or new parking, often shape how buyers and sellers see the surrounding streets. If you live near Hillside or are thinking about a move in Reading and want to talk through what projects like this could mean for you, Denise Bollard is glad to help. Schedule a consultation whenever it suits you.
