Festive Light Buying Guide

With Diwali, Halloween, and Christmas right around the corner, many people are getting their festive lights out from storage. If you’re in the market for an upgrade from the dusty, tangled ball of lights, we’ll look at what you should consider.

Interior or Exterior Festive Lights

It’s important to use the right kind of lights in the right areas. If you are shopping for lights to go on the front of your house they should be exterior lights, and lights to go on the tree should be interior lights.

Using interior lights outside can cause extreme damage, not just to the lights themselves but to your home. We’re in the wet, rainy season now, so you shouldn’t use unprotected lights as they can break, cause circuit damage to your home, or even start an electrical fire.

Similarly, interior lights will have been tested for their suitability for use on interior materials, like your Christmas tree.

The lights you are buying should clearly state where they are meant to be used. If you’re not 100% sure, lights will have an Underwriter Laboratories' tag. On interior lights this UL tag will be green or have green writing on them. On exterior lighting, this tag will be red.

IP Ratings are also a great way to tell the difference between an interior and exterior light. Generally a minimum IP rating of 44 means that your lights can be used outside, but the plug may need to stay indoors.

Light Colour Temperature and Settings

Depending on personal preference you might associate a certain colour temperature with the festive season or room. For example, you might like to use cold white lighting outside your home to mimic the crisp coldness of snow but cool white lighting inside as it is more cozy! A strip of multi coloured lights can also really make a statement.

What’s more, many light strips come with a different combination of flashes, and some even have a built in timer that you can set up to turn your lights on when the sun goes down.

To learn more about light colour temperature, check out our handy colour temperature guide here!

Key Considerations for Choosing Festive Lights

Before you dive into buying your festive lights, it’s worth taking a moment to think about what will work best for your space. From safety ratings to power sources and even cable colour, the right choice can make your display both stunning and hassle-free. Here are some key things to keep in mind when choosing interior and exterior festive lighting.

How Many Lights Do You Need?

It might sound obvious, but measure the area that you want to cover with lights to make sure that you have enough. However, similarly, too much lighting can be an issue too. Having to coil or overlap lighting can overwhelm your beautiful display.

Bulb Type: LED vs. Incandescent

LED lights are far more energy-efficient, longer-lasting, and safer (they don’t get hot) compared to traditional incandescent bulbs. They're ideal for both interior and exterior setups.

Indoor vs. Outdoor Rating

Always check if the lights are rated for indoor or outdoor use. Outdoor lights are weatherproof and often have an IP rating (e.g., IP44 or higher), while indoor lights are not designed to handle moisture or low temperatures.

Additional Accessories

If you’re looking to have greater control over your lights, a timer switch is an essential accessory.

A simple manual switch can be bought for relatively little, but if you’re a tech head you can even get models that are operated from your phone or smart home assistant!