Updated August 22, 2023

The art of Halloween decorating has grown in popularity, likely because the occasion provides such a vast palette for imagination. You can dress your space for fall using scarecrows, dyed corn and dried materials, or delve into the eerie elements of Halloween decorations, with phantoms, goblins, and hexes.

As you install your outdoor Halloween decorations, however, carefully consider how you’ll illuminate the display once the sun sets. The string lights you use for Christmas can often be repurposed for Halloween. Here are several inventive lighting ideas to elevate your Halloween decor scheme.

Explore Your Color Choices

Regarding Halloween lights, hue is paramount. Blue, green, and purple seem to give your decorations an ethereal brilliance and can contribute to an unworldly atmosphere. Red and orange Halloween lights can also provide a striking effect – imitating flames beneath a witch’s cauldron or illuminating a porch or pumpkin, for instance. Additionally, you can position orange lights along fences and porch rails as a backdrop for darker decorations.

Experiment with Shadows

Remember telling spooky stories in the dark, with a flashlight under your chin to create a ghoulish effect? Blue or purple flood lights placed at ground level and aimed upwards at your Halloween decorations can reproduce a similarly eerie ambiance. Utilize your floodlights to illuminate a wide area or accentuate a single haunting feature.

Outline Your Pathway

Ensure a safe path to your front door (and the goodies) with Halloween pathway lights. Halloween-themed stake lighting is popular, but there are other ways to define the walkway. Use luminaries to line the walk, suspend lanterns from hooks, or string lights along the path on stakes that are two to three feet tall.

Enhance the Greenery

Transform the trees and shrubs in your yard with lighting. Wrap Halloween string lights around tree trunks and branches, and lay net lights over bushes to help set the scene. If you have multiple trees in your yard, consider stringing lights between them to form an overhead canopy. Add a few large rubber spiders or bats for an extra creepy effect.

Accentuate Your Pumpkins

No Halloween setup is complete without one or two carved pumpkins. Instead of relying on candles, which can blow out or pose a fire risk, place a strand of battery-operated lights inside each pumpkin. Alternatively, you can use a battery-operated candle with a flickering bulb that mimics real candlelight.

The large assortment of Halloween decorations enhances the fun factor for seasonal decorating – and lights are the perfect finishing touch. Tap into your creativity and shine a little light on this year’s Halloween decor.

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• #Halloween
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