Extending Your Garden Evenings Into Autumn
As the clocks prepare to go back and the evenings draw in, it is easy to write off the garden for another six months. But a well-chosen set of outdoor string lights or festoon lighting can keep a patio, decking area or pergola usable and inviting long after the barbecue season has ended. Whether you want a warm glow for a quiet evening cup of tea, something to see the dog by on a dark November walk down the garden path, or proper party-style lighting for a late autumn gathering around the fire pit, there is a set out there to suit.
We have already covered solar garden lights for pathways and borders on this site. This guide picks up where that leaves off, looking specifically at festoon lights (the bulb-on-a-wire style strung across beer gardens and terraces) and string lights more broadly, across mains-powered, solar and smart app-controlled options. We have tried to cover a genuine spread of budgets, because the right choice for a rental flat balcony is rarely the right choice for a permanently wired pergola.
A quick note before we get into it: bulbs fail and connectors corrode over time, so a set that has spent three winters outdoors will not perform like a brand new one. We have based this round-up on current specifications and what buyers commonly report, but always check recent reviews on the retailer’s own site before buying, particularly for anything left outdoors year-round.
At a Glance: Comparison Table
| Product | Power Source | Length / Bulb Count | Approx Price |
| NOMA Connectable Festoon Lights, 20 Multicolour LED Pro Bulbs | Mains (plug-in) | 10.6m / 20 bulbs | around £55-£60 |
| Lights4fun 30 Multi-Coloured LED Festoon String Lights | Mains (plug-in) | 7.25m / 30 bulbs | around £35-£45 |
| Lyyt Bauble Outdoor Festoon LED Lights (connectable) | Mains (plug-in) | Connectable, up to 12 sets | around £25-£35 |
| SolarCentre Elan Festoon String Lanterns (20 LEDs) | Solar | 10m / 20 LEDs | around £15-£25 |
| Luxform Lighting Corfu Solar String Light | Solar | 5m / 15 LEDs | around £15-£25 |
| Govee Outdoor String Lights 2 (app-controlled) | Mains (plug-in, low-voltage transformer) | Approx. 15m / 45 bulbs | around £75-£85 |
NOMA Connectable Festoon Lights, 20 Multicolour LED Pro Bulbs (10.6m)
NOMA is a well-known mainstream lighting brand widely stocked on Amazon UK, and its connectable festoon range is a solid like-for-like alternative to the specialist festoon brands. The 10.6m set carries 20 multicolour LED “Pro” bulbs on a weather-resistant cable, and the range is designed to be connected end to end so you can extend a run across a patio or pergola. It is a mains-only set, so you will need a nearby outdoor socket or a suitably rated extension lead.
Pros: robust, shatterproof bulbs; genuinely weatherproof for UK conditions; connectable; widely available with spare bulbs easy to find.
Cons: mains-only, so you need an outdoor socket or a suitably rated extension lead; the cable and bulbs are a fairly heavy-duty look rather than delicate fairy lights; some versions are dimmable, others are not, so check the specific listing.
Who it suits: anyone with an outdoor socket near a patio, pergola or decking who wants a permanent, hardwearing festoon look rather than something temporary.
- MULTICOLOUR LIGHTS: Create a magical and inviting atmosphere with 20 multicolour LED bulbs, perfect for outdoor decorative lighting
- CONNECTABLE: Connectable festoon lights, string them together to cover larger areas in gardens or patios while adding long-lasting beauty and functionality-
- WEATHER RESISTANT: Designed to withstand various weather conditions for consistently stunning displays throughout the season
- ENERGY EFFICIENCY: Enjoy the charm of festive lighting while saving on energy costs due to efficient LED technology embedded in each bulb
- VERSATILE: Ideal for creating a warm ambiance during special occasions or enhancing everyday outdoor spaces with vibrant colours and enchanting light effects-
Lights4fun 30 Multi-Coloured LED Festoon String Lights (7.25m)
Lights4fun is a UK festoon and fairy light specialist that sells directly through its own site and via Amazon UK, and this 30-bulb multi-coloured mains festoon set is a sensible middle-ground option if you’d rather order online from a brand that focuses purely on this kind of lighting. The 7.25m run on a black cable gives a decent length for a small to medium patio, and it’s IP44 rated and fully waterproof for typical UK garden use.
Pros: straightforward ordering and returns through Amazon UK; multi-coloured LEDs suit parties and everyday use alike; IP44 rated for typical garden use; strong customer review track record.
Cons: you can’t inspect the bulbs and cable in person before buying the way you could in a shop; at 7.25m it’s a shorter run than some rival sets, so you may need more than one for a larger area.
Who it suits: gardeners happy to order online who want a straightforward, no-frills mains festoon set from a specialist lighting brand rather than a generic own-label set.
- 【30 Multi-Coloured LED Globes】: Each 5cm plastic globe contains a colorful LED, perfect for bringing a vibrant, party-ready feel to any event, indoors or outdoors.
- 【Long 7.25m Light Sring With Generous Lead Cable】: With 7.25m of lights and a 5m lead cable from the transformer, these lights offer flexibility in setup, even if the nearest outlet is farther away.
- 【Safe Low Voltage Transformer】: These lights use a low voltage, weatherproof transformer, making them safe for indoor use around children and pets and durable enough for outdoor use.
- 【Lightweight Design with Easy Hanging Hooks】: Each globe has a built-in hanging hook, and the lightweight black cable allows for easy setup, display, and storage.
- 【Versatile Indoor And Outdoor Use】: Designed for both indoor and outdoor settings, these lights are weatherproof and safe for use around children and pets, making them ideal for brightening up your garden, patio, or any room in your home.
Lyyt Bauble Outdoor Festoon LED Lights (Connectable)
Lyyt is a brand more familiar from the events and DJ equipment world, which shows in the build quality of its festoon ranges. This warm white bauble-style set is IP44 rated and designed to be properly connectable, with up to 12 sets daisy-chainable from a single power adaptor, which makes Lyyt a good choice if you want to build a longer run across a large garden, allotment gathering space or as a semi-permanent installation around a summer house.
Pros: designed with connectability front of mind, so runs can be built up gradually (up to 12 sets on one adaptor); rounded bauble-style bulbs give a slightly different look to standard festoon globes; feels like slightly more commercial-grade build quality than some supermarket own-brand sets.
Cons: sold through specialist lighting and events suppliers rather than the big high-street names, so it is worth comparing postage costs; review count on this particular listing is currently thin, so treat the rating as indicative rather than conclusive.
Who it suits: anyone planning a bigger lighting scheme who wants to add sets over time, or who values slightly more robust construction for regular outdoor entertaining.
- Indoor or outdoor use IP44
- Great for parties, festivals, summer BBQs or even all year around decorative lighting
- Connectable up to 12 sets on a single power adaptor
- Energy efficient
SolarCentre Elan Outdoor Garden Solar Powered Festoon String Lanterns (20 LEDs)
For anyone without a nearby outdoor socket, SolarCentre’s Elan solar festoon range is worth a look. It gives you a festoon lantern look without any cabling to a plug: 20 solar-powered lanterns on a 10m string, charging via a small integrated solar panel during the day and switching on automatically at dusk. As with any solar lighting, output depends heavily on how much direct sun the panel gets, which in a typically overcast British autumn is worth being realistic about.
Pros: no cabling or outdoor socket needed, so ideal for sheds, fences, allotments or rented properties; automatic dusk-to-dawn operation; simple to reposition; no ongoing electricity cost.
Cons: brightness and run-time will noticeably drop off through autumn and winter as daylight hours shorten; solar panels need to be sited somewhere they actually get sun, which is not always where you want the lights; not as bright as mains equivalents.
Who it suits: renters, allotment holders, or anyone lighting an area with no easy access to power who is happy to accept softer, weather-dependent brightness.
- 20 outdoor solar powered festoon lanterns (5cm diameter) on a 10m string. Easy to install. No wiring required. No electricity costs.
- 2m lead between solar panel and first bulb with 10m of lights (12m total string length).
- Charges by day, turns on automatically at night and turns off automatically at dawn.
- Waterproof. Perfect for decorating outdoors, gardens, trees, shrubs, plant pots, decking, porches, pergolas and trellises.
- Steady on or flashing lighting modes. Uses replaceable AA rechargeable batteries. 1 year full warranty.
Luxform Lighting Corfu Solar String Light (15 LEDs)
Luxform is a dedicated solar and garden lighting specialist, and its Corfu solar string light is a step up from the cheapest supermarket solar sets in terms of finish. The set carries 15 warm white LED bulbs on a 5m string (including the lead to the solar panel) and includes a remote control for switching between lighting modes.
Pros: no ongoing electricity cost; remote control included; a brand that focuses specifically on solar and garden lighting, so build quality tends to be a cut above generic own-brand solar sets.
Cons: same solar limitation as any panel-charged light — shorter, dimmer performance through the darker months; at 15 bulbs and 5m this is a smaller-scale set, better suited to a border or small feature than a full patio; review count on this listing is currently thin.
Who it suits: gardeners who want a genuinely solar-specialist brand rather than a generic budget set, and who are lighting borders, fences or smaller features rather than a large entertaining area.
- Solar String Light With 15 Warm White diffused LED's
- The string has a total length of 5 meters (2 meters with 15 lamps 21cm apart and 2 meters from the last lamp to the solar panel).
- Perfect for hanging over gazebos, marquees, outdoor bars and patios
- Use in remote areas or where you have no power supply
- The solar panel has 3 different functions: On, OFF and Flashing .
Govee Outdoor String Lights 2 (App-Controlled)
If you want to properly show off, Govee’s smart outdoor string lights bring RGBIC colour-changing bulbs, app control and voice assistant compatibility (Alexa and Google Assistant) to the garden. Runs extend to around 15 metres with roughly 45 bulbs on the larger sets, and the app allows scene presets, music sync and scheduling, alongside a plain warm white mode for evenings when you just want normal lighting. The sets are IP65 rated, a genuine step up from the IP44 festoon sets above.
Pros: proper colour-changing and scene control via the Govee app; can be scheduled to come on automatically; higher IP65 weatherproof rating; individually addressable bulbs on the RGBIC versions give effects a basic warm white set simply cannot match.
Cons: considerably more expensive than any other set in this round-up; relies on a stable home Wi-Fi signal reaching the garden, which is not guaranteed for every property; more moving parts (app, hub, firmware updates) means more that can potentially go wrong versus a simple plug-in set.
Who it suits: households who already use smart home gear and want their garden lighting integrated with it, or anyone who genuinely wants colour-changing effects for entertaining rather than a plain warm white glow.
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Buying Guide: What to Look For
IP Ratings Explained Simply
You will see an “IP” rating (Ingress Protection) on almost every outdoor light. The first digit covers protection against dust and solid objects, the second against moisture. For garden string and festoon lights, IP44 is the figure to look for as a minimum: it copes with rain and splashing from any direction, which is what most of us need hung under a pergola or along a fence. IP65 and above (as on the Govee set) adds protection against low-pressure water jets, useful if the lights are more exposed. Whatever the rating, check whether the transformer or plug connector needs to stay under cover — many sets are only weatherproof along the cable and bulbs, with the transformer needing a dry, sheltered spot such as a shed or under eaves.
Mains vs Solar vs Battery
Mains-powered festoon lights are generally the brightest and most reliable option, and the obvious choice if you already have an outdoor socket, though you will need to think about cable routing and trip hazards. Solar lights need no wiring at all but are at the mercy of the British weather and shortening autumn daylight, so treat any advertised run-time as a best case rather than a guarantee. Battery-powered sets sit in between: no cabling, but batteries to replace or recharge, which adds up if you are using them every evening.
Warm White vs Colour-Changing
Warm white is the safer, more universally flattering choice for most gardens and suits everyday use — it is the tone most festoon lights use by default and reads as cosy rather than novelty. Colour-changing (often labelled RGB or RGBIC) sets, like the Govee option above, are better suited to occasional entertaining, parties or seasonal displays, where the ability to switch to a fixed colour or a dynamic scene earns its keep. If in doubt, a set with a plain warm white mode as well as colour options gives you the best of both.
Connectable and Expandable Sets
If you are lighting anything larger than a small patio, check whether a set is connectable before you buy, and how many sets can be daisy-chained from a single plug (most mains sets have a stated maximum, often around three). Buying one connectable set and adding more later as budget allows is usually cheaper and more flexible than buying one very long set upfront, particularly if you are not yet sure exactly how much length you will need.
Our Recommendation
For most UK gardens, a mains-powered festoon set such as the NOMA or Lights4fun options offers the best balance of brightness, reliability and price, provided you have a nearby outdoor socket. If you do not, a solar set from a dedicated brand like Luxform or SolarCentre is a reasonable compromise, as long as you accept reduced performance through the darker months. For anyone wanting to make a real feature of their garden lighting, the Govee smart string lights are the standout — at a price that reflects the extra technology on board. Whichever you choose, check the IP rating suits where you plan to hang it, and think about connectability now so you are not stuck buying an entirely new set next year.
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