30 Backyard Lighting Ideas for Glow & Guests

Creating a lively backyard starts with lighting.

Just because the sun begins to set and daylight disappears doesn’t mean it’s time to head indoors, especially if you’re hosting a party.

Thanks to outdoor lighting fixtures, you can extend outdoor festivities way into the evening hours.

If you need to find the perfect way to illuminate your backyard, we’ve put together a list of this backyard lighting ideas for a functional (and visible) space.

Use Your Trellis

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If your outdoor space has an overhead structure, like a pergola or trellis, use it to hang small pendant lights.

When hosting an outdoor dinner party, they’ll feel like floating candles to help achieve the perfect ambiance.

Highlight Your Garden

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Garden lights are meant to up the drama around your home when it comes to landscaping.

Use solar lights that turn on at dusk to highlight your lush greenery or blooms to enhance the natural beauty surrounding your home.

Directional lights can be pointed upward to light up greenery from below.

Make Spaces Intimate

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If you’re hosting a backyard barbecue or entertaining with an elegant dinner party, make your lighting intimate with its warm ambiance.

Scatter candles along the table and frame the space with string lights to create a cozy atmosphere that’ll invite your guests to stay and enjoy the time outdoors.

Edison Bulb String Lights

Pin @cottageandsea / Instagram

Brighten a small patio on a budget with string lights.

Choose large Edison bulbs for a modern feel that will make your space feel festive and inviting.

Porch Ceiling Pendants

Pin Emily Henderson Design / Photo by Sara Ligorria-Tramp

Create a timeless feel on a covered porch with dropped ceiling lights.

Black metal fixtures add contrast with the white painted shiplap ceiling of this porch seating area for a modern farmhouse feel.

Wall Sconces

Pin Lucide Lighting

Choose space-saving sconces to light your porch or outdoor living room.

These streamlined black sconces provide both uplighting and downlighting to maximize illumination.

Patio Lights

Pin Emily Henderson Design / Photo by Tessa Neustadt

Use coordinating light fixtures to give a patio a polished and cohesive feel.

This space is lit by black metal sconce lanterns and complementary string lights hung beneath the slope of the roof.

Outdoor Floor Lamp

Pin Emily Bowser for Emily Henderson Design / Photo by Sara Ligorria-Tramp

Bring the indoors outside with a floor lamp. Choose a stylish outdoor fixture that doubles as decor when the sun is shining.

Front Door Sconces

Pin White Sands Design Build

Flank a colorful front door with black metal sconces for a modern farmhouse look.

Black lantern-style fixtures and a light blue Dutch door adds charm to this Southern California home.

Fairy Lights

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Hang delicate fairy lights from your backyard fence to add a magical feel to an outdoor seating area.

Choose individual fairy lights or a string light curtain depending on how much surface area you want to cover.

Outdoor Kitchen Spotlight

Pin Design by Cathie Hong Interiors / Margaret Austin Photography

Illuminate an outdoor kitchen with bright white sconce lighting that will allow you to prepare meals safely and easily after dark.

This back patio grill space includes a minimalist black sconce spotlight that floods the countertop with light for prepping meals.

Floodlights

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Opt for floodlights to illuminate a backyard fence.

Downlighting will brighten the area and highlight the wood grain in your privacy fence.

Solar Lighting

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Use solar lights to highlight a large potted plant on your patio or other outdoor space.

This will create a focal point and can help to anchor an outdoor sitting area.

Bollard Lights

Pin @ann.living / Instagram

Evenly space bollard lights around the periphery of your fence to brighten your backyard.

These vertical fixtures will structure the space while providing a modern look.

Outdoor Table Pendant Light

Pin Desiree Burns Interiors

Hang an oversized pendant light from a mature tree to bring the indoors outside.

On this modern patio, a large woven pendant light anchors the dining table.

Wraparound Porch Lighting

Pin Raymond Forbes LLC / Stocksy

Embed can lighting in the roof of a large wrap-around porch for a balanced look.

Choose bulbs that are bright enough to illuminate the space, but are warm enough to make the outdoor space comfortable to use.

Floor Lanterns

Pin Jess Bunge for Emily Henderson Design / Photo by Sara Ligorria-Tramp

Fill modern black metal and glass hurricane floor lanterns with flameless LED pillar candles to add ambient lighting to a rooftop deck seating area.

Choose a pair of varying heights for a stylish look.

Layered Lighting

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Combine more than one lighting source to create a warm ambiance for outdoor seating areas.

This covered patio includes string lights and a central light fixture to make the space more inviting.

Patio Lanterns

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Spread matching lanterns around the pool deck to create a pleasing glow and nighttime reflections.

Keep lanterns low to the ground for a lounge feel.

Pergola Lighting

Pin Upstyle Your Home

Light your backyard pergola by hanging string lights from the upper beams.

Then add some boho-style straw pendant lights to complement rattan furniture.

Walkway Path Lighting

Pin COS Design / Photo by Urban Angles

Install lighting along your walkway or garden path so that it’s safe to navigate in the evenings.

Stake lights that are driven into the ground on either side of your walkway will get the job done.

Brass Sconce

Pin Design by Leanne Ford Interiors / Photo by Erin Kelly

Hang a brass sconce to create a welcoming glow on a farmhouse front porch.

Matching door hardware will brighten the look and add warmth to an all-white house.

Rattan Pendant Lights

Pin Andrea Scharff Landscaping

Warm up your pool deck with a cluster of rattan pendant lights.

The woven texture will provide plenty of contrast with all of that concrete and complement wood finishes like an outdoor dining table.

Lantern Posts

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Suspend solar-powered lanterns from the wooden posts of your outdoor staircase.

This will create a rustic look that is less modern than installing integrated staircase lighting.

Modern Globe Sconces

Pin Tyler Karu

Modernize a traditional or farmhouse front porch with large globe light sconces.

Choose black metal mounts to complement a black-and-white facade.

Recessed Path Lighting

Pin Rowena Naylor / Stocksy

Integrate recessed path lighting on an outdoor walkway for a minimalist look.

The light will shine up from the floor and can be carried onto the front deck or porch for a modern feel.

Boho-Style Pendant Light

Pin @cottageandsea / Instagram

Anchor a boho-style outdoor seating area with a woven pendant light.

The airy fixture will complement rattan furniture and a jute rug for a relaxed feel.

String Light Canopy

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Define an outdoor seating area with a string light canopy suspended overhead.

This will create a warm feel that stands in for stars on a cloudy night.

Illuminated Front Steps

Pin White Sands Design Build

Turn a prominent front staircase into a feature with integrated outdoor LED lighting.

Warm light creates a welcoming feel on the exterior of this three-story home.

Outdoor Dining Room Lights

Pin Aleksandar Novoselski / Stocksy

Make your outdoor dining area more functional with lighting that will allow you to enjoy al fresco meals at any time of day or night.

Hang a pair of industrial pendants over a large dining table to ensure that there is adequate light.

Cozy Candlelight

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Create a warm glow on your back porch or patio with candlelight.

Keep it safe by placing pillar candles in tall glass hurricane lanterns, or opt for flameless LED candles for extra peace of mind.