Five tips for outdoor event lighting

If you’re planning an event this summer, the right lighting is essential. If you happen to be organising an outdoor event, lighting is still crucial, no matter how much you believe you can rely on natural light. Incorporating lighting trends to your celebration will take your event from ordinary to spectacular (and Instagram and Pinterest worthy). It can support interactive activities, help your guests feel safe or even reflect the chosen atmosphere of your event.

Where are the lights going?

First, consider where you would like your lighting and make a list. For instance, are you looking to highlight a particular area at your party, such as the bar or food service tables? This decision is crucial as if you place too many lights in one area; you could overwhelm your guests. The right lighting encourages us to relax and stay: the aim of your event.

If you happen to be hosting an event during the day, remember most outdoor lighting provides better effects in shaded areas. For example, consider hiring a marquee or even a gazebo for the more budget friendly. If you determine where and if the lighting will be undercover, you can begin planning how many lights you will need and the all-important decoration.

Consider electrical outlets

Your event is outside, so you need to plan for electrical outlets. Make sure it is designed around those outlets when discussing locations and venues. We recommend sketching your chosen venue and marking out the electrical outlets to get a better idea of the day. By doing this, you can also hide them with chairs, podiums or tables etc. You can even make any necessary changes before the event and ensure all your lighting and activities work together.

Remember safety when looking at electrical outlets. Don’t leave wires or possible hazards in the way of any guests. You can cover them with tape or, as mentioned above, ensure the outlets are out of the way with decoration on top. We suggest looking into battery powered lights as an alternative, which tend to be more beneficial for the smaller outdoor events.

Uplighting

Uplighting is regularly used for events and is considered to be one of the best lighting options. Uplighting is a form of ground-based lighting, most commonly used to illuminate areas within a venue. However, uplighting is also beneficial for outdoor trade shows, for example, regularly used for pop-up banners. This method of lighting is relatively cost-effective and is available in a range of colours if you are looking to inject colour into your event. For the more budget conscious, you can also get battery powered uplighting, which also removes the worry of one of your guests tripping over wires.

Gobo lights

Gobo lights are a huge trend for 2018. They dominated the event and wedding industry in 2017, and are continuing to do so. A gobo is a metal or glass disc with a pattern or design etched into them that is then projected onto the surface of a wall or ceiling, for example. The options for gobo lights for business events are staggering, as you can opt to project images of your company logo or a particular design associated with your brand. Alternatively, you can choose designs from an already existing catalogue. The gobo lights are crisp and cost-effective, but work best in shaded areas. Gobo projectors have a long distance in the dark, which does decrease in natural light. If you happen to have a marquee or teepee at your event, gobo lights are best used there.

Festoon lighting

As 2018 event trends are predicted to be rustic and metallic, festoon lights complement the themes and, most importantly, look good. Standard lighting doesn’t do an outdoor event justice today, but festoon lights do. As an alternative to fairy lights, festoon lights are more professional and sleek, yet suit both corporate and fun events. You can string festoon lights between trees, or drape them around wooden areas for an inviting outdoor seating area. Likewise, if you are serving food, you can place them around the catering stalls to further highlight them for your guests. We predict you’ll be seeing a lot more of festoon lights this year.

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