Outdoor Party Lighting

Outdoor party lighting is an essential part of any outside celebration decor. 

Not only can they look festive during the daytime, but they bring light and ambiance to the environment when the sun goes down.  They are the visible portion of the decorations when nighttime comes.  Just like candles on a birthday cake, the additional twinkle they add to the gathering makes things all the more attractive.

What’s even better is that you don’t need to spend a fortune in order to obtain fun and appealing outdoor party lights.  The trick is to get your creative juices flowing and think about the way you’d like your space to look as well as what kind of practical light you’ll need (such as along a pathway or marking the edge of a pool).  Even as they indicate the edge of a canopy or fence line, they can provide some sparkle to the area. 

For example, even strings of Christmas lights can add color or dazzle to the area, using either white, single colored, or multicolored strands.  Though it is recommended that when you use these for outdoor party lighting, you should choose the type that are designed specifically for outside, if you are careful about the weather and are certain it won’t be too cold and that it won’t rain at all, you can even use a little indoor string.   Just make sure that you make a priority of bringing them in after the gathering is finished and that you don’t leave them outside all night after everyone has left.

Outdoor Party Lighting - Many Types

Other types of outdoor party lights that you can use can include solar lamps that stick into the ground on little spikes (be sure to give them a couple of days to charge in the sunlight before  hoping they’ll stay on for the get-together), torches (well set into the ground for stability), strands of party lights, or tea-light candles (in fireproof containers that won’t blow over).  You can choose either one type, or you can combine several ideas based on how much light you need, the size and shape of the space, the theme of the décor, and the effect you’d like to achieve. 

When putting your outdoor party lighting ideas together, remember that a little bit of planning can go a long way.  Measure the length of any strands of lights and find out how far apart other types (such as torches) should be set.  Then, draw a quick sketch of the area on a sheet of paper (try to keep things to scale for a more realistic concept of how things will work, but don’t fuss about getting it too accurate) and work the lights into the diagram so you can get a better mental image of how things will work out.

Keep in mind that parties where children and elderly individuals will be attending require additional lighting and should not include pieces that can be knocked over and smashed, or fire that could be accidentally touched or knocked down.