How Red Bank’s Town Lighting Illuminates the Season
By Jody Sackett
RED BANK – Ten months ago, Red Bank’s real-life elves began planning for the borough’s annual holiday town lighting, which takes place the Friday after Thanksgiving, this year Nov. 28. It’s the meticulous preparation that makes this free event a successful celebration, drawing over 6,000 visitors each year – plus literally hundreds of thousands of little white lights.
Red Bank’s holiday festivities stretch back decades, in one form or another, and there have been some unforgettable moments, such as Santa’s arrival by helicopter in 1979. Today, RiverCenter, a nonprofit organization that promotes the Red Bank downtown district, works closely with the borough to ensure the town lighting goes smoothly.
For 23 years, PowerHouse Signworks, a Red Bank-based company, has been handling the job of decorating the town. Crews begin work during the first week of October to complete everything in time.
“We use approximately 205,000 white LED lights to decorate the lampposts and the approximately 50 trees on Broad, Wharf, Front, Monmouth and White streets, and Bridge Avenue, too,” explained James Bruno, the owner/operator of PowerHouse. Tom Hanley, RiverCenter Events and Marketing manager, said those LED lights are so efficient they use no more electricity than two refrigerators.
PowerHouse also installs bows, pole banners, tree-shaped garland and traditional wreaths, the same decorations that have been displayed nearly every year since the 1980s. The legacy decorations are meticulously cleaned and repaired after each year’s festivities. New this year are decorations gifted to Red Bank from Fair Haven, which the borough retired; Bruno negotiated to save these traditional adornments for Red Bank’s collection.
In addition to the lights around town, PowerHouse also illuminates the 18-foot Christmas tree at Riverside Gardens Park, always a popular place for a photo op.
The town lighting is a family-friendly event. Festivities begin this year at the Edmund Wilson Plaza on Bridge Avenue (between Triumph Brewing and Two River Theater) with a 5 p.m. pre-show that includes a DJ and Perna Dance Studio performances. Triumph Brewing provides complimentary hot cider to keep revelers warm.
Santa and Mrs. Claus make an appearance for selfies before a Westside Hose firetruck arrives to chauffeur the couple to the Holiday Express Stage on Broad Street (by Garmany) for a concert. The Atlantic Watch Pipe and Drums majestically accompany Santa along the way, and everyone is encouraged to jump in and join the parade.
Gifted student musicians from the Count Basie Conservatory of Music launch the 6:30 p.m. concert with seasonal favorites, while the Union Hose Fire Company provides free hot cocoa to sweeten the evening. Holiday Express, a beloved volunteer band of talented musicians led by Tim McLoone, performs rollicking music until about 8:30 p.m. Usually, the Grinch stops by, too, before Mayor Billy Portman and members of the borough council conduct the crowd countdown that ends with an instantaneous and brilliant illumination of the entire downtown district. The secret? Three teams of volunteers armed with walkie-talkies, stationed around Red Bank, are the folks who actually switch on the power.
A key player in bringing the event together is RiverCenter, which even maintains a “green room” at the Bakers On Broad bakery as a home base for performers, workers and volunteers where they can warm up with hot coffee.
RiverCenter was founded in 1991 to address the economic decline of the 1970s and 1980s, when many small-town businesses across the country suffered from the rise of shopping malls and large chain stores. As vacant storefronts proliferated and crime increased, suburban shoppers stayed away from downtown. Recognizing the urgent need for revitalization, RiverCenter was created to spearhead redevelopment and spur growth opportunities and grants. Cultural investments, including the restoration of the Count Basie Theatre and historic building renovations, attracted more retailers to the newly created Red Bank
Special Improvement District, which today includes 480 businesses and 300 properties. Funded by an annual tax assessment, RiverCenter’s initiatives, such as Restaurant Week and Oktoberfest, keep Red Bank on the radar, although the town lighting is a crowd favorite.
Mairin Bennett, RiverCenter executive director, revealed an early gift for holiday shoppers: “We are happy to announce the Borough of Red Bank will provide free parking over Thanksgiving weekend and in the two weeks leading up to Christmas.”
Holiday Express has graciously performed annually at this event since 1994. Tim McLoone founded Holiday Express in 1993 after volunteering at homeless outreach programs in Newark. As a musician, he understood the healing and uplifting power of music and wanted to bring it to the people who needed it most, especially during the holidays. As a restaurateur, he also recognized the value of a good meal, which Holiday Express delivers to those in need, along with gifts such as blankets, winter gloves and warm hats.
Funded by donations and fueled by over 1,500 volunteers, it is a mobile mission that visits dozens of organizations during the holidays. In addition to rocking the town lighting, they also bring joy and sing-alongs to appreciative audiences at hospitals, VA centers, soup kitchens, addiction recovery programs, homeless shelters and senior centers – really anyone who needs them to come.
But there’s more to the holiday celebrations than the downtown district. Johnny Jazz Park, a little gem located on Red Bank’s West Side, at the corner of Shrewsbury Avenue and Drs. James Parker Boulevard, is also part of the seasonal festivities. Its tree lighting event occurs from 6 to 8 p.m. Dec. 5, a week after the downtown lighting.
“Red Bank Recreation proudly provides dedicated volunteers for the town lighting, and we also organize a special tree-lighting celebration on the West Side, commemorating the permanent holiday tree planted by the West Side Community Group nearly 20 years ago,” explained Oscar Salias, Red Bank Parks and Recreation director. “This event is more community-focused and features Santa Claus arriving on a West Side Hose firetruck, along with holiday musical performances by choirs from the (Red Bank) Primary and Charter schools, the Basie Center for the Arts, Lakehouse Music Academy and the Chorus of the Atlantic.”
Even after the town lighting ends, the holiday fun continues throughout the borough. An Elf Scavenger Hunt begins Nov. 28; children (and the young at heart) can search for the over 30 hidden elves in stores around town. Participants can win Red Bank Bucks gift cards, which are usable at over 50 District merchants. The Red Bank Bucks Annual Giveaway begins at 10 a.m. Nov. 29 at Toast City Diner and offers free $25 gift cards to the first 200 people. “Some people come early every year for the Red Bank Bucks and stay for breakfast,” said Lori Gigante-Vockroth, RiverCenter’s project manager.
On weekend afternoons in December, there will be concerts and strolling performers, with the Holiday Trolley providing free travel around town from noon to 4 p.m.
Rabbi Dovid Harrison will be using a real torch to light the borough menorah Dec. 18 (the first night of Hanukkah is Dec. 14) in Riverside Gardens Park. The event will include live music, donuts and hot cocoa.
While all the events are free for attendees, Hanley said the total cost of the town lighting is approximately $18,000 for sound, video, lights, setup/breakdown and security, with an additional $58,000 for the installation and removal of lights and decorations.
But the borough reuses as much as possible and is proud to give the newly repurposed Fair Haven decorations “a second chance to make the season bright” this year.
Turns out sustainability is truly a wonderful gift.
The article originally appeared in the November 20 – 26, 2025 print edition of The Two River Times.
