Festoon Lighting Pole

A sturdy way to hang festoon lights across your garden, patio or deck without relying on walls or fences. These 42mm round steel poles keep a run of lights hanging straight and taut, and stand up to whatever the weather does.

Handmade in our Sheffield workshops, in single full lengths.

Key details

• 42mm round heavy-duty steel
• Three finishes — galvanised, powder coated black, or 316 marine grade stainless
• 2.5m and 3m, both stock sizes
• Ground socket available above as an option, supplied with the pole
• Price is per pole. Festoon lights are sold separately

Choosing a finish

• Galvanised — bare metallic grey, fully protected, and the cheapest option. Industrial in appearance rather than smart. Topped with an acorn finial.
• Powder coated black — galvanised first, then coated, so there are two barriers against the weather. Disappears against planting at night, which is what you want under lighting. Topped with an acorn finial.
• 316 marine grade stainless — brushed steel, the same specification as The Stainless One. Suits a modern garden where the post is meant to be seen. Finished with a flat cap rather than a finial, which suits the cleaner look. Near the coast it needs cleaning more often than a coated pole, not less — salt tarnishes the surface.

Note the tops differ. The galvanised and black poles are topped with an acorn finial; the stainless has a plain flat cap. It is a small detail, but it is the sort of thing worth knowing before it arrives — and if you are buying two poles for one run, order them in the same finish so they match.

Do you want the ground socket?

This is the option above, and it decides whether the pole is permanent or removable. One socket is supplied per pole — there is nothing separate to add to your basket.

No socket. The pole is concreted straight into the ground and stays there. Simplest and cheapest, and the right answer if the pole is going somewhere it will never be in the way.

With a ground socket. A 500mm galvanised steel box section is cast into the concrete instead of the pole itself. The pole then drops into the socket and lifts back out by hand — snug enough not to wobble, loose enough to shift on your own.

That matters more than it sounds. It means you can take the pole out to mow properly, clear the lawn for a party or a game of football, put it away over winter, or move the whole arrangement if you change your mind about where the lights should run. It also means you can take it with you if you move house.

When the pole is out, a socket cap sits flush in the hole and keeps soil and stones out — worth adding, as a silted-up socket stops the pole seating properly. Caps are sold separately.

There is more detail on the socket itself, including dimensions, on the ground socket page.

How many poles

Festoon runs between two fixings. If you have a solid wall at one end, a single pole and a stainless pad eye will do it. With nothing to fix to, you want two poles.

Allow a little slack when you string the lights. A gentle drape looks better than a taut line, and it puts less strain on both ends.

Need a hand?

The fitting detail is here: how to install one and galvanised vs stainless.