Festoon & Outdoor String Lights

Festoon lights for the garden

Festoon lights are a cable with large bulbs hanging at regular spacing, the kind strung across a pub garden. Run them along a fence, zig-zag them over a patio or loop them under a gazebo roof. Because they plug into a socket, they don't depend on a sunny day to charge the way solar lights do, and they stay bright all evening.

Bulbs

S14 bulbs have the classic Edison shape, and G40 bulbs are small round globes. Most sets here use LED bulbs in shatterproof plastic, which survive a knock and use little power. Warm white, around 2200K to 2700K, gives a soft yellow glow. Colour changing RGB sets add party modes, and a few connect to an app on your phone.

Length and linking

Lengths range from about 7.5m to around 60m. Many sets are linkable, so you can join two or more end to end from one socket. Check the listing for how many sets can be joined. Measure the run you need, including the drop down to the nearest outdoor socket.

Outdoor ratings

For outside use, look for a weatherproof rating such as IP65 on the bulbs and connectors. Keep the plug and any adaptor indoors or in a weatherproof outdoor socket box.

Dimming and timers

Some sets come with a remote that dims them and switches them off on a timer. Others work with a separate dimmer, which isn't included. If you want the lights on every evening without thinking about it, an outdoor plug-in timer does the job for any set.

Hanging them

Plan the route before you start, with fixing points every couple of metres. A tensioned steel guide wire takes the weight off the cable over longer spans.

Shop more outdoor lighting in outdoor and LED lights, or add shelter with a pop up gazebo. Delivery is free to the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, and orders arrive in 3.0 working days on average.