Solar Festoon Lights

Solar powered festoon lighting for patios, seating areas and garden paths. Warm, low glare light with no cable to run and no electrician needed.

What you get

• G40 bulbs in shatterproof plastic rather than glass, so a knock or a football does not end the evening
• A spare bulb included with every set
• Solar panel on a ground spike, with a clip stand as an alternative if you would rather sit it on a wall or sill
• Remote control for on and off, brightness, lighting modes and the timer
• USB-C and USB-A charging cable included

Charging and run time

• Solar charge: 6 to 8 hours
• USB charge: 4 to 6 hours, for weeks when the sun does not show up
• Run time: 8 to 10 hours from a full charge

A built-in light sensor brings them on at dusk and switches them off at daybreak, so once they are up there is nothing to remember. If you want them on during the day, cover the panel.

Weather rating

The bulbs are rated IP45 and the solar panel IP65, so the set is built to stay outside through rain, wind and frost rather than being brought in each autumn.

Which length

• 15 metres — 21 bulbs. Enough for a run across a patio, or a loop over a seating area.
• 30 metres — double the length, for a longer run, a bigger garden, or a there-and-back zigzag.

Measure the run and allow a little slack. Festoon lighting looks better with a gentle drape than pulled tight, and a taut cable puts unnecessary strain on whatever it is fixed to.

Something solid to hang them from

Festoon lighting needs a fixing at each end that will not move. Fences sag, trellis flexes, and shed corners are rarely where you want the light. Our festoon lighting pole is heavy duty steel, galvanised and powder coated, made in our Sheffield workshops, and it will still be standing long after the lights need replacing.

Add a ground socket if you would rather lift the poles out over winter, with a socket cap to keep the hole clear while they are out.

The lights themselves are a bought-in accessory — the poles are the part we make.