What Is Festoon Lighting and Where Does It Work Best?

You've probably seen festoon lighting without knowing what it was called. Those warm white bulbs strung on black cable across a courtyard, over a market, or draped through the trees at a wedding reception. It's one of the simplest forms of event lighting and one of the most effective.

What Festoon Actually Is

Festoon is a string of evenly spaced light bulbs on a heavy-duty cable. The cable is usually black rubber, designed to be weather-resistant and strong enough to be strung across distances of 20 metres or more between anchor points. The bulbs sit in E27 screw sockets spaced about half a metre apart.

It's not fairy lights (those are the tiny twinkly ones on thin wire). Festoon bulbs are proper globe-shaped lights, roughly the size of a golf ball or slightly larger, that throw enough light to actually see by. The look is warm, relaxed, and a bit nostalgic. Think outdoor dining in the Mediterranean, but in Christchurch.

Bulb Types

We use warm white LED bulbs in all our festoon hire. LEDs run cooler, use less power, and last longer than the old filament bulbs. The colour temperature sits around 2700K, which gives that warm amber glow without looking orange.

Some festoon uses clear glass bulbs where you can see the filament-style LED inside. Others use frosted bulbs for a softer, more diffused look. We tend to use clear bulbs for most of our events because they look cleaner at a distance and the light pattern is more defined.

Where It Works Best

Festoon is incredibly versatile. Here's where we install it the most:

• Weddings: Over the reception area, along pathways between the ceremony and reception, draped through trees at vineyard venues. It photographs beautifully and sets the mood without being over the top.
• Markets and food events: Night markets, food truck gatherings, pop-up dining. Festoon defines the space and gives it a shared atmosphere that makes people want to linger.
• Outdoor dining: Restaurants and bars with courtyards. We've installed semi-permanent festoon for hospitality venues around Christchurch that stays up for months at a time.
• Marquees: Inside or around the outside of a marquee, festoon adds warmth that overhead spotlights can't match. It pairs well with a clear-roof marquee where the bulbs glow against the night sky above.
• Garden parties and private events: Backyards, farm paddocks, anywhere with trees or posts to run lines from.

Installation Considerations

Festoon needs two things: anchor points and power. The anchor points are whatever you're attaching the cable to. Trees, building fascia, fence posts, marquee frames, or free-standing poles that we bring along.

The cable should sit at least 2.5 metres off the ground at its lowest point so people can walk underneath comfortably. Over driveways or where vehicles pass, it needs to be higher. We use cable tensioners to keep the lines taut and stop excessive sagging.

Power-wise, festoon draws relatively little. A single circuit can handle a good 150 metres of LED festoon. We run all the power distribution and cabling as part of the install, so you just need to tell us where the nearest power source is.

How Much Do You Need?

This depends on the space and the look you're going for. Some rough guidelines:

• Small courtyard or backyard (8m x 8m): 40-60 metres of festoon, strung in a zigzag or grid pattern
• Medium reception area or garden (15m x 15m): 80-120 metres, usually in parallel lines about 2-3 metres apart
• Large venue, market, or festival area: 150+ metres, depending on coverage
• Pathway or driveway border: One line along each side, so twice the length of the path

Each of our festoon strings is 15m long, and we carry up to 4km of festoon in stock. They join together to cover whatever length you need. If you're not sure how much you'll need, send us a photo or a rough sketch of the area and we'll work it out.

Pairing With Other Lighting

Festoon sets a base layer of ambient light. For events that run into the evening, you might also want other lighting like uplighting on trees or buildings, a wash on the stage or dance floor, or path lighting for safety. Festoon and uplighting together is a combination we do a lot for weddings, and it looks fantastic in photos.

If you're planning an event and festoon is on your list, get in touch early. Popular dates book out, especially over summer and during wedding season.