Outdoor Halloween Lights - Creating Great Halloween Lighting Effects

Outdoor Halloween lights are excellent for adding a touch (or a whole big dollop) of spooky ambiance to your garden and the exterior of your house, and look especially effective when it is dark outside. Halloween is a huge industry these days, and many people like to decorate their houses both inside and out. There's a huge variety of Halloween decorations on the market, and they can really help to create an appropriately sinister atmosphere, which is great for Halloween parties, or for keeping the kids entertained. Halloween lighting effects can play a major role here, and this article takes a look at some of the different types of outdoor Halloween lanterns and other lights that are available, and how to make the best use of them.

Types Of Outdoor Lighting For Halloween

Halloween lighting can be as simple or complex as you desire. Many people begin their Halloween preparations weeks before the big night, and may choose to display their lighting and other Halloween decorations throughout the whole of October. For best effect, don't use too many lights, or lights that are too bright – maintaining some darkness is essential for creating a Halloween atmosphere. Here are some ideas for lighting the yard at Halloween:

Halloween string lights – as the name suggests, these are relatively small lights on a string, a bit like Christmas fairy lights. These lights are usually orange or purple, and may have shades shaped like Halloween motifs such as bats, witches etc.You can also get Halloween rope lights, which consist of a solidly lit rope.

Halloween pumpkin lanterns – the ever popular Halloween pumpkins can do double duty as outdoor lights. After hollowing them out and carving in some spooky designs, light them from within with candles (taking appropriate safety precautions), or torches etc. A group of pumpkin lanterns dotted around the yard, or near your doorstep, will look very effective. You can also mount them on pumpkin stands for extra decorative effect (see more pumpkin decorating ideas).

Solar lights – with no wiring needed, solar Halloween lights are a safe and low fuss way of lighting the exterior of your home. They may be shaped like pumpkins or other Halloween symbols.

Projection lighting – use a projector to display Halloween-themed images on the side of your house – very effective on dark nights! These can be used indoors too, and are great for parties.

Black lights – black light bulbs are readily available, and can be inserted into outdoor black light fixtures to produce a purplish glow after dark. The UV light they emit also shows off any fluorescent Halloween make up that your party guests might be wearing to great effect! You can also get black light spray to enhance your decorations, so they glow under black light.

Light covers – if you have an existing light on your porch or elsewhere on the exterior of your house, you can get temporary Halloween-themed covers to fit over it – a great way to get some outdoor Halloween lights with minimal fuss!

Standalone outdoor Halloween lights – you can also get standalone lights in a wide variety of styles. These include lights shaped like pumpkins and spider webs (nice for hanging in trees), illuminated Halloween trees, ghosts and ghouls of various kinds, tombstones, witches, cats, eyeballs, lighted wreaths and much more. Many of these are mounted on stakes, so you can secure them easily on the lawn.

Creating an effective outdoor lighting display for Halloween can be time consuming, especially if you really go all out. It's best to make a written plan first, so you'll know exactly what you need. When it comes to installing your lighting, be careful not to overload any circuits, and make sure you enough fixing accessories (hooks etc) to attach them to trees, walls, fences as appropriate. Cords and plugs should be insulated against water (yes, you hope it won't rain, but it's best to be prepared!). If you need to use extension cables, ensure that they're suitable for outdoor use. And obviously, only use Halloween lights that are especially designed to be used outdoors – never be tempted to bring indoor lights out into the open, even if the weather seems fine.

Bear these tips in mind, and you should have no trouble creating a stunning outdoor Halloween lighting display that will impress your family and guests!

Halloween lights are widely available in stores both online and off. You might find that there's a wider range available online, and often at lower prices too, since online businesses don't have the overheads of brick and mortar shops. Wherever you buy, don't skimp on quality, as safety is very important.