The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly affected our way of life. One of the biggest changes it introduced was the ban on mass gatherings. Sure, it is a necessity in these trying times but it also creates a huge problem for those who are trying to host business events or even celebrate personal milestones for intimate home parties.
So, what do you do in this type of scenario? The obvious solution is to host an outdoor event. Now, if this event is taking place during the night, or at least prolongs deep into the night, you may have to think about the lighting scheme. Here are several gorgeous lighting ideas for outdoor events during the COVID-19 pandemic.
1. LED candles
The first idea is to go for LED candles. This solution is great for several different reasons. First, this option is the least power-hungry of the bunch, which means that it’s an eco-friendly solution. Second, LED candles are far safer than regular candles. With too many people around and all that flammable decoration, placing real candles everywhere would be quite risky. Not to mention that the majority of events have alcohol involved, which is both highly flammable and makes people even more reckless and less mindful of their surroundings.
2. Path lighting
When looking for ways to increase safety during this outdoor event, you should consider path lighting. You see, light creates its own pathways and while illuminating hazards may seem intuitive, it might be safer to just use illumination to show people where it’s safe to thread. Moreover, path lighting allows you to prepare the outdoor venue with minimum landscaping. Those areas kept in the dark will not attract any attention. This way, you will be able to make the place look stylish with minimal error. The use of outdoor lights is one of the best ways to beautify your entire property.
3. Go eco-friendly
One of the ways to both save money on the illumination of the area and keep the place illuminated both day and night is to hire some solar lighting towers. This is one of the best possible ideas for brands that support the idea of switching to renewable energy sources or hold eco-friendly stances. In other words, showcasing your value is always more effective than just talking about it or bragging about it. Standing behind your beliefs is crucial and this is one of the seamless and subtle ways to do so. Moreover, these towers are more than a valid source of light.
4. Cascading chandeliers
Hanging, cascading chandeliers are probably the best way to add more luxury to the entire area. However, hanging them isn’t necessarily the simplest course of action. You need to consider the surrounding structures and use wires, cables, even tree branches to set them up temporarily. The biggest issue here is safety and you need to ensure that everything is properly fastened and that the structure holding it is secure. Also, keep in mind that every lighting fixture has its area of illumination. This is why just because you can hang a fixture somewhere doesn’t mean you should.
5. Spotlight fabric curtains
One of the problems with illuminating outdoor events lies in the obvious lack of reflective surfaces. Well, with a spotlight on the fabric such as curtains and draping, you can easily rectify this problem. The lack of restrictions is one of the best things about hosting events under the clear sky, however, it also diminishes the importance of the focal point (main stage or speaker’s podium). Since there’s no barrier behind them, there’s nothing to create the optical depth of field or prevent the gaze of viewers from wandering off further. This way, you can use the lighting to make a stylish background.
6. Illuminated logo
The simplest way to brand the entire area is to display an illuminated logo somewhere behind the focal point. This is a suitable replacement for the logo on the wall and, due to its shiny nature, it attracts more attention. Now, this shouldn’t be your main light source, seeing as how it would be too intensive to look at. Instead, it needs to have its own, dim, illumination, so that it gets an inspiring glow and aura around it. This is just one of the ways you can put a personal stamp on the event and customize it to enhance your branding efforts.
In conclusion
The issue of illumination is essential for any outdoor event, especially one that is scheduled to extend into the evening hours. It is, at the same time, a matter of pragmatism, visibility, branding and overall aesthetics. As such, it needs to take a prominent spot on any checklist when planning such an event. The most important of all is the fact that neither of the above-listed is mutually exclusive. This means that you can combine them in any way you like.