How do I light a backyard or evening party?

Work out where guests will need to see

Set up the furniture and decide where activities will happen before you put up any decorative lights. Walk the route a guest would take: from the entrance to the seats, the food table, the bathroom and the exit. Include steps and the place where guests will leave coats, shoes, gifts and bags.

The food table needs enough light for guests to read the labels. Test the lights with the trays and serving utensils in place, and make sure a centerpiece doesn't hide a label or take up serving space. Bathroom and exit signs also need to be readable from where guests will approach them, under the lighting you'll actually use.

In a backyard, apply the same check to the seating area, the food table and the walking routes separately. A glowing strand over the chairs doesn't tell you whether people can see the path to the door.

Walking through the yard helps you check each area on its own. Start at the entrance and ask what you can see on the way to the chairs, then do the same for the food table. Our backyard party lighting guide sets out these walkthrough questions so you can check each area before guests arrive.

Using string lights in a backyard

String lights can make a yard feel ready for a party, but they're only one part of the lighting. Use them where they suit the space, following the equipment and mounting instructions, and keep other lights available while you compare arrangements. Judge the seats, plates and route to the food table, not only how the glowing background looks.

Lighting ideas to try in your own space

These are arrangements to test with suitable equipment in your own space. They aren't installation instructions. Try each one before deciding what to buy.

• A table party with lamps nearby: for a craft, board game or small dinner, try the room's usual lights plus a lamp beside the seats. Put out the actual supplies and sit at each place. Can guests read cards and see their work? If dimming the room makes the activity harder, keep the brighter setup. A battery light can decorate the centerpiece, but it may not light the whole table.
• String lights behind a seating area: hang them along a suitable backdrop behind the chairs, following the instructions. Repeat a color from the table if you want the decorations to go together.
• A photo corner with room for props: choose a background, then test the lights with the actual camera. Leave a separate space for the prop box and guests waiting their turn.
• A movie night with a separate snack table: test the screen and the lights together. If a light makes the picture hard to see, move the light or the seats. Then walk from a seat to the snacks and the bathroom with the movie playing.
• A quieter corner for an overnight party: keep a lit table for drawing or a board game while the group winds down. Check which lights will stay on and whether the bathroom route can still be seen. Don't assume the decorative lights used earlier will light that route.

What to check before buying lights

Make a list of the lights you own or can borrow, where you want to use each one and how it's powered. Check the product instructions for suitability, placement, mounting and any limits on connecting sets together. Sort out these questions before a light goes into your plan.

Once a light passes those checks, add it to your party supply list with where it will go, whether you own it or are borrowing it, and which helper is responsible for it. Any spot on your plan that still has no light beside it is a gap to fill. Our guide to party supplies to buy, borrow or prepare shows how to record each item's status and helper.

A light that works for the photo backdrop may not suit the food table or the yard. Check each use separately rather than buying several matching sets first. If your lamps and room lights already do the job, extra decorative lights are optional.

Example: an evening birthday in the backyard

Illustrative example: a family hosts an evening birthday in the yard, with seating on the patio, a food table by the back door, a game on the lawn and the bathroom indoors. They already own one set of string lights and two lamps. A neighbor can lend a second set.

The evening before, at about the time the party will start, they put out the food with its labels and walk the routes. The string lights over the patio seats work well. The food table is too dark to read the labels, so they put a lamp just inside the back door where it can light the table. The second set of string lights doesn't say whether it's suitable for outdoor use, so they use it inside to decorate the backup room. The lawn game would put children under a low strand, so they move the game to the other side of the lawn. That keeps children out from under the strand, but it doesn't show whether they can see in the new spot. So they set out the actual game pieces there after dark and try playing. If the light already reaching that spot doesn't let players see the pieces and the edges of the play area, they add a light they've confirmed is suitable for that spot, or move the game to another place they've already tested after dark.

They choose the living room as the backup space and check that everyone fits there, not just a small table. One adult is named as the person who changes the lights and moves people inside if needed.

When to get the lighting ready

The test after dark matters more than sticking to a set number of days.

• When you choose the location: mark the food table, seats, activities, entrance and exit. Confirm any venue rules before deciding on decorations.
• About a week before: list what you own, can borrow and still need. Check the equipment details and assign setup jobs.
• The evening before: test the arrangement at roughly the time guests will be there. Put food labels out, test the camera and check the movie screen if you're using one. Write down any changes.
• Before guests arrive: put supplies where they'll be used, check everything again and confirm who will change the lights when activities finish.

Rechecking the lights is one part of a wider check before guests arrive. Drinks, any food guests will have on arrival, the first activity and a spot for bags and coats need to be in place, while later food such as dessert can be gathered to bring out later. Our guide on what should be ready before guests arrive covers that room check; the lighting steps above stay the same.

If the lighting doesn't work as planned

If a space is too dim for eating or an activity, switch on the usual lights and keep the decorative lights as an accent. If the weather changes an outdoor setup, move to an indoor arrangement you've already tested. At the end of the party, make sure the route out is still lit while guests collect bags, favors and crafts.

Check the lights before guests arrive

Go through this list after the furniture, signs and activity supplies are in place.

• Entrance, steps, seating and the place for coats, gifts and bags are visible.
• Each food label can be read from where a guest will stand.
• Guests can see the activity supplies from their seats.
• Bathroom and exit signs can be read under the planned lighting.
• A test photo has been taken with the actual camera.
• Outdoor lights are confirmed as suitable in the product instructions and allowed by the venue.
• No game or walking route passes under low-hanging lights.
• The bathroom route is still lit with the lights you'll leave on later.
• The backup space is checked and an adult is named to change the lights.

Sources and further reading

• Backyard Party Lighting
• String Light Party Ideas
• Party Lighting Ideas

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