How to Use Party Lights to Decorate Garden Parties
How to Use Party Lights to Decorate Garden Parties
Whether you’re a party animal or someone who only likes to entertain guests from time to time, hosting a party in your garden is a fantastic thing to do in the summer months. However, before you get the party started, you’ll need to reconsider your outdoor lighting.
Lighting can make or break your party atmosphere. Without outdoor lighting, you won’t be able to set the mood, mark out your seating area or keep the party going after the sun sets. Therefore, finding the best outdoor party lights should be your number one priority when planning an awesome party.
If you’re planning a garden party (or several) this summer, here are the best types of party lights and how to use and install them for various outdoor events.
Types of Outdoor Party Lights
1) RGB Colour-Changing Festoon Bulbs
Colour-changing festoon bulbs are quintessential party lights if you really want to get the party started.
However, RGB colour changing festoon lights obviously won’t suit every occasion. For more laid-back evenings, you may prefer outdoor lights that aren’t so flashy and colourful, although these lights would certainly be perfect for a birthday party or fancy dress event.
2) Single Colour and White Festoon Lights
Festoon lights are the trendy option for any garden party. This is due to their superior versatility, durability and style.
Festoon lights, also known as string lights or café lights, are the larger, more retro counterpart to fairy lights. You may recognise them from old Hollywood movies, but these garlands of large bulbs are reaching their peak popularity today in 2022.
In particular, LED festoon lights are adored for their ability to create a fun, celebratory atmosphere, which is why they’re often used for outdoor parties and events. In addition, these LED bulbs are incredibly durable, reliable, energy-efficient, eco-friendly and long-lasting - in fact, LED bulbs can last up to 50,000 hours!
How to Use Festoon Party Lights to Decorate Your Garden Parties
If you’re hosting a garden party, then festoon lights should be your number one choice due to their many benefits. Below, you’ll discover some fantastic lighting design ideas to help you gather inspiration for a wide range of events.
However, before you get started, remember to always check that your outdoor lighting is waterproof so it’s safe to use all year round.
Idea 1: Installing your LED party lights in pinwheel, zig-zag and parallel patterns for large gatherings
When installing festoon party lights, the first thing you’ll need to do is consider the layout of your outdoor space and plan where you’ll place them. Choosing an interesting pattern for the placement of your lights can really amp up the party atmosphere and make your garden look more put-together, which is ideal if you’re hosting a large gathering for a birthday party or wedding party.
For example, you could hang your lights in pinwheel, zig-zag, parallel and v-shape patterns. All you’ll need to do is search for fixing points in your garden (such as trees or fences) or create your own by placing wooden posts in the ground. Then, you can install metal hooks in the posts and fences and use zip ties to attach the festoon lights to the hooks.
Finally, once your festoon lights are arranged in your desired pattern, you just need to connect them to a power source. It’s better to use an outdoor power source since you won’t have to lead the wires through doors or windows and potentially damage them.
Idea 2: Draping your festoon party lights around trees
If you have large trees in your garden, then you’re in luck! Since there are no hooks or ties involved, draping festoon lights around trees is the easiest way to install these lights.
To create a party atmosphere, you can shop around for colourful and even colour-changing festoon lights. At Ultra LEDs, there’s a wide range of colours to choose from, including red, blue, green and yellow. Wrapping multi-coloured lights around the trees in your garden will add a special touch to your party decorations, and this would also be fantastic for a child’s birthday party because you can pick their favourite colours.
However, if you prefer neutral lighting for more sophisticated events, you can still create an amazing outdoor feature by draping festoon party lights around your trees. In particular, warm white festoon lights evoke a magical atmosphere when the soft glow of the bulbs peeks through the foliage, which makes these lights ideal for any evening celebration.
Idea 3: Hanging festoon lights on garden structures for outdoor dinner parties
In addition to trees, it’s also extremely easy to hang your festoon lights from garden structures like gazebos and pergolas. Again, you won’t have to worry about using hooks and zip ties if you hang your LED party lights here.
By wrapping your festoon lights around the wooden structure of your gazebo or pergola, you can create a welcoming and enchanting place to spend time with party guests in the evening. As mentioned previously, warm white festoon lights will help you achieve this soft lighting effect.
Furthermore, if you’re hoping to host an outdoor dinner party, then this lighting idea could help you create the perfect atmosphere. The twinkling string lights adorning your pergola will provide just the right amount of overhead lighting for your outdoor dining table whilst also evoking a romantic and intimate ambience. Pair these lights with elegant candles on the dining table to really elevate the mood.
Idea 4: Adding garden party lights to your seating area for laid-back evenings
For more laid-back gatherings, you’ll need a cosy outdoor seating area to relax and chat with friends. So, if you’re planning a party, you should always pay attention to this area of your garden to make it as comfortable as possible.
With their old-fashioned charm, warm white festoon bulbs create a calm and welcoming atmosphere for your guests without compromising on style. By installing these LED party lights around a seating area with comfortable furniture, additional lighting sources like candles and lanterns, and even a cosy firepit, you can really heighten this effect to make your friends feel as welcome as possible during smaller gatherings.
Idea 5: Hanging festoon party lights along pathways
If you’re inviting lots of guests to your home for a big event, you need to make sure that everyone knows their way around, especially if you have a large outdoor space. This is why it’s a great idea to use LED party lights to illuminate pathways and steps for your guests.
Festoon party lights are brilliant for fulfilling practical lighting needs whilst also being stylish and charming. To use them to light up garden paths, all you need to do is install wooden posts along the pathway and use hooks and zip ties to attach the lights to them. If your path runs alongside a fence, you can simply hammer some nails into the fence and hang the lights from them.
Another solution is to use solar-powered lights that can be stuck into the ground. However, these solar-powered lights generally aren’t very bright and aren’t as eye-catching as festoon party lights.
Idea 6: Experimenting with different levels
Overall, no matter what kind of lights you choose for your garden party, experimenting with lighting at different levels can really elevate your décor. In addition, having both overhead lighting and lighting close to the ground will help prevent falls and accidents at night.
You can even achieve this multi-level lighting with just festoon party lights. For example, you can hang these lights from trees and garden fences whilst also using shepherd’s hook stakes to hang them closer to the ground to illuminate pathways.
Where to Buy the Best Garden Party Lights
Choosing the right lighting is one of the most important parts of planning a garden party. To help you entertain your friends and keep everyone safe at night, you must search for a durable, long-lasting, easy-to-install, versatile and trendy lighting solution that you can use no matter the weather.
On the UltraLEDs website, you can browse their extensive collection of weatherproof festoon lighting and find your ideal outdoor party lights for an amazing price. Discover what’s available by visiting UltraLEDs today.