By creating a merry and bright Christmas light display, Utah Tech University freshman Darren Johnson is showcasing his tech know-how and determination, and the Southern Utah community is taking notice. In fact, Darren’s holiday light display has been selected to be featured in the 10th annual St. George Christmas Lights Spectacular.
Among other elements, the display features more than 20,000 controlled pixels and is synchronized to music. Darren runs the entire show by himself, taking care of everything from programming the lights and music to setting it all up. He even created his own website and coded a feature that allows the audience to control the show while watching it. To make the show perfect, Darren has been preparing since August and has put in about 600 hours of work.
He started the show three years ago while living in California and brought it with him when he moved to St. George to attend Utah Tech.
“Since the age of about 5 or 6, my family and I would go look at this one house that went all out for the holidays,” Darren said. “I told my mom, ‘One day, I am going to do that.'”
With a little time and a lot of persistence, he proved himself right.
“At the age of 15, I taught myself basically everything. This is now my third year doing the light show and it grows more and more each year,” he said. “I just love the smiles it brings to people’s faces.”
Darren’s dedication to brining joy to the community has expanded recently to include a Halloween light show in the fall. Both displays are a labor of love he dedicates his time and resources to as a way to bring the community together.
To learn more about Darren’s light display, check out his website at pixelsonphotinia.com or see the display for yourself at 3052 Photinia Drive in St. George. The display will be lit up every night until Christmas Day.