Cafe lights or party lights that is also known as festoon lights are particularly popular at weddings as they provide an ambient and celebratory feel to any special occasion.
How do you choose the right festoon lights for your place?
These lights can be made from good or bad quality parts, but it often happens that you can get the best grade product for an excellent price.
1. Cable
When you want a string of bright and even lighting with no flickering, you should opt for a thicker cable. The reason being that the further electricity must travel, the thicker your cable need to be, as the thicker cable will reduce the amount of voltage drop, you’ll get, ensuring the same amount of brightness throughout the whole string.
2. Choose LED Lights
LED lights are always the better choice since Halogen or incandescent globes burn very hot and can attract unwelcome visitors (insects).
LEDs ranges from 1-Watt to 3-Watt, and they give off just the right amount of lighting, and they use very little power. Festoon lighting is a beautiful tool for setting the mood, and if you want the lighting to be ambient and not too bright, then a cool white globe is your best bet.
3. Check For The Right Type Of Socket
Ideally, you should be looking at lights with a light socket that seals around the globe to prevent water from getting in which will shorten the life of your bulbs and it could cause unwanted electrical problems for you.
4. Using Your Festoon Lights In The Outdoors
Make sure you choose an option that is built for the outdoors preferably lights that are rated at IP44 which is an indication that they can handle water from the rain and can be left on permanently if you choose to do so.
What Are The Different Styles Of Festoon Lights?
You get lots of different shapes and sizes and various types of festoon lights for indoor, outdoor or weatherproof options a few of which include:
- Lantern style
- With frosted globes
- Dimmable lights
- Translucent lights
- Globe-shaped lights
- Multi-coloured options (for parties)
- Edison style globes for a more vintage look and many other choices.
Where Can Festoon Lights Be Used?
Festoon lights are most commonly used for weddings or parties, but they are also suitable for home or business use.
Examples of areas at Home:
- Outside entertainment area, i.e. deck
- Hanging them on the porch
- In the dining room over the table for a decorative look
- Parties in your backyard
- Bedrooms for a soft or romantic setting
- In the kitchen over the countertops or islands
Examples of areas for Business use:
- Indoor and outdoor over tables, i.e. at a restaurant
- Indoor or outdoor areas at a bar
- Outdoors or indoors at a wedding celebration
- The stage at a theatre
- Amusement parks
- At art galleries
- Outdoor Christmas decorations at shopping malls or businesses
When it comes to festoon lights, there is no question about the allure these lights have whether you’re opting for fairy lights, big bulb strings, multicoloured strings or just a single cool white option, the possibilities are endless.