How To Hang Festoon Lights

Find out how to illuminate your outdoor spaces beautifully with festoon lights!

These charming, retro-style bulbs can transform any garden or patio into a magical, warmly lit oasis. Whether you’re planning a cosy backyard gathering or looking to add a touch of elegance to your garden furniture setup, festoon lights offer versatility and style with your gardening lifestyle. In this article, we will demonstrate the process of how to hang festoon lights, from selecting the right tools to installation tips for various settings, to ensure that you can create an enchanting outdoor ambiance that suits you best with these delightful lights.

What are Festoon Garden Lights?

Festoon garden lights, with their distinctive oversized glass LED bulbs, offer a stylish and warm ambience that elevates outdoor spaces throughout the year. These lights, reminiscent of vintage Christmas decorations but with a modern twist, provide a dimmable warm white glow that can transform any garden, patio, or backyard into a cosy retreat.

When considering how to hang festoon lights, it’s important to tailor your approach based on the specific area you’re decorating. Whether draping them across a small patio or stringing them over expansive backyards, the process requires thoughtful preparation and the right materials.

What Tools And Equipment Are Needed:

For installations where festoon lights are strung between points less than 8 metres apart, you’ll need:

• Outdoor Festoon Lights: Quantity sufficient to cover your designated area.
• Outdoor Extension Cord: Essential for areas without a nearby exterior outlet, ensuring it’s suitable for outdoor conditions.
• Drill: An electric drill is preferred for creating fixing points, although a manual drill can suffice in its absence.
• Tape Measure and Pencil/Painter’s Tape: For accurately measuring distances and marking drill points.
• Metal Hooks/Eyes: Select durable hooks to serve as secure fixing points for your lights.
• Zip Ties: To fasten the light strings securely to the hooks or eyes.
• Ladder: Necessary for reaching higher points of installation.

For areas requiring spans over 8 metres, additional tools include:

• String Light Suspension Kit: This kit is crucial for supporting festoon lights over large distances and should include a wire cable, pad eyes, snap hooks, lock clamps, and turnbuckles to ensure a secure installation.
• Wire Cutter: To adjust the wire cable to the perfect length, ensuring it’s neither too long nor too short for your setup.

Planning where to hang festoon lights, such as festoon lights on fences or using festoon light hooks, involves considering both the practical and aesthetic aspects of installation. 

Installing in Back Gardens With Or Without Tree Support

When your backyard lacks natural tall supports like trees for hanging festoon lights, there’s no need to worry. Try these tips:

• Wooden Posts or Poles: These act as your main supports. Choose your desired height, keeping in mind that festoon lights usually hang best at or below 3.5 metres.
• Hammer: Necessary for securing components if you opt for nails.
• Nails: Ideal for affixing lights to fences.
• Weighted Buckets: Use these as stable bases for your posts, preferably plastic buckets filled with concrete for durability.

Did you know that hanging festoon lights in your garden or backyard is just one of many simple ways on how to make a small garden look bigger? Find out more now.

Step-by-Step Guide to Hanging Festoon Lights

1. Layout Planning and Fixing Points Identification

Begin by laying out your festoon lights on the ground to visualise the end result and determine the needed length. Remember, avoid laying lights across furniture or obstacles to get accurate measurements.

Decide on your desired light pattern, with options ranging from X, V, zigzag, parallel, to pinwheel shapes, depending on your area’s configuration. Consider the power source location in your planning.

Identify potential fixing points such as tall fence posts or house sides. For areas lacking natural supports, setting up wooden posts will be your go-to solution, ensuring you achieve the desired light arrangement.

Ensure fixing points are within 8 metres if you’re not using support wires, and check all LED globes for functionality to avoid any surprises post-installation.

2. Fixing Points Installation (With or Without Support Wire)

With your design in place, proceed to install the fixing points. The type needed will vary based on your chosen layout, but metal hooks or eyes are commonly used for their simplicity and effectiveness. Ensure these points are securely closed to prevent dislodging by wind. Drill pilot holes for each hook before screwing them in place, adding adhesive for extra security if necessary.

If spanning distances longer than 16 metres, consider using support wires, preferably made from rustproof stainless steel, and adding more support poles to maintain stability and integrity of your festoon lights setup.

3. Securing the Lights to Supports

After setting up your support wire or identifying fixed points, it’s time to attach your festoon lights. Cable ties are perfect for securely fastening the lights to the wire or posts. If you’re working with a support wire, consider using zip ties on each side of the LED globe for a neat appearance. For festoon lights equipped with hooks, simply thread the zip tie through the hook and around the wire for a secure fit.

For distances less than 10 metres between points, you can directly hang the lights without additional support wire, simplifying the installation process. Ensure the power cord is neatly arranged and secured away from walkways to prevent tripping hazards.

4. Installing LED Light Bulbs

Now, carefully screw in the LED bulbs into their fittings. Twist each bulb clockwise until it’s snugly fitted, ensuring a waterproof seal is formed—ideal for outdoor settings. The durability of shatterproof LED bulbs means you don’t have to worry about breakage during installation.

5. Powering Up Your Festoon Lights

With the bulbs securely in place, connect your festoon lights to the power supply and switch them on. You’ll be greeted by a warm, inviting glow that enhances the ambiance of your outdoor gatherings, illuminating your space beautifully into the night.

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How To Hang Festoon Lights Without Tree Supports

For backyards lacking natural structures such as tree supports for hanging festoon lights, try utilising existing garden features such as fences or custom poles to suspend your lights.

How To Hang Festoon Lights On A Fence

To adorn your fence with festoon lights, begin by attaching 3-metre wooden posts, equipped with cup hooks, directly onto the fence using side nails for a secure fit. For a better setup, consider using screws to fasten these posts firmly. Most fences have concrete-reinforced posts, providing a sturdy foundation to support your light-enhanced posts.

If your design requires posts taller than 3 metres, it’s advisable to install these independently rather than attaching them to the fence to ensure stability. Space your posts approximately 2.5 metres apart to achieve a graceful zig-zag pattern, or adjust according to the design pattern you’re aiming for, such as X or V shapes.

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How To Hang Festoon Lights under Pergolas or Covered Patios

Hanging festoon lights beneath a pergola or covered patio is a straightforward task. Fix cup hooks at every metre under the structure to support your lights. You might choose to align your lights with the existing architectural lines for a harmonious look or experiment with different patterns to create a unique ambiance. This setup allows for a safe and aesthetically pleasing installation, reshaping your outdoor living space’s beauty and functionality.

How To Hang Festoon Lights on Patios, Decks, or Hard Surfaces

Installing festoon lights in areas with hard surfaces, such as patios or decks, requires a bit more planning. Use buckets filled with concrete to anchor your light posts, spacing them according to your design needs. Given the potential pull on the posts from the festoon lights, especially over large areas, ensure each post is adequately weighted at the base to withstand wind and prevent tipping.

Metal tubing, secured with tube clamps instead of basic hooks, offers a durable solution for hanging your lights. This method grants you the flexibility to place your posts freely, allowing for intricate and creative light designs.

Key to Hanging Festoon Lights Successfully

The secret to a flawless festoon light setup is in the planning. Despite the lights’ lightweight nature and the durability of most hooks, it’s crucial to balance the tension among components to prevent undue stress. With careful preparation, you can effortlessly hang festoon lights almost anywhere, elevating the ambiance of your outdoor spaces with a warm, welcoming glow.

Even if you do not have festoon lights in your garden, they are closely related to string lights as well. Similarly, here are some gorgeous ideas for using string lights for a wedding.

FAQs

Sources

Acciardo, K., Cuccinelli, J., (2023) 40 Gorgeous Ideas for Using String Lights Throughout Your Wedding. Brides. [online] Available at: https://www.brides.com/gallery/string-lights-fairy-lights-wedding-ideas [accessed 19/02/24]

Callan Harvey