Please Upgrade From IE
Phone
+441257792111 Call Us
My Account
Account
My Cart
Basket
Festive Lights
OUTDOOR CHRISTMAS LIGHTS

Most Popular

Icicle Lights TRENDING
Outdoor Christmas Tree Lights
Christmas Silhouettes
Light Up Reindeer
Christmas Figures & Sculptures
Outdoor Christmas Fairy Lights

Other Categories

Christmas Curtain Lights
Christmas Festoon Lights
Christmas Lasers & Projectors
Christmas Light Stakes
Christmas Net Lights
Outdoor Christmas Cluster Lights
Rope Light
Twinkly™ Lights 20% OFF
Shop All Outdoor Christmas Lights
Indoor Christmas Lights
Christmas Tree Lights
Christmas Fairy Lights
Christmas Window Lights
Hanging Christmas Lights
Christmas Candles
Christmas Cluster Lights
Christmas Candle Bridges
Twinkly™ Lights 20% OFF
Shop All Indoor Christmas Lights
Artificial Christmas Trees
Outdoor Christmas Trees
Shop All Artificial Christmas Trees

Collections

All That Glistens
Winter's Lodge
Candy Cane Lane
Christmas
Shop All Christmas
Festive Lights Electricity Cost Calculator
Festive Lights Electricity Cost Calculator
ICICLE LIGHTS
CHRISTMAS SILHOUETTES
INDOOR CHRISTMAS LIGHTS

Most Popular

Christmas Tree Lights
Christmas Fairy Lights
Christmas Window Lights
Hanging Christmas Lights

Other Categories

Christmas Candles
Christmas Cluster Lights
Christmas Candle Bridges
Twinkly™ App Controlled Lights
Shop All Indoor Christmas Lights

Collections

All That Glistens
Winter's Lodge
Candy Cane Lane
CONNECTABLE LIGHTS
Accessories
Cluster Lights
Curtain Lights
Fairy Lights
Festoon Lights
Figures
Garlands & Wreaths
Net Lights
Silhouettes
Icicle Lights
Shop All ConnectGo®
Accessories
Cluster Lights
Curtain Lights
Fairy Lights
Festoon Lights
Garlands
Icicle Lights
Net Lights
Rope Light
Silhouettes
Shop All ConnectPro®
Accessories
B22 Belts & Bulbs
E27 Belts & Bulbs
Shop All FestoonPro®
CG002

ConnectGo Outdoor LED Fairy Lights, Connectable, Dark Green Cable

MV001

ConnectPro Outdoor LED String Lights, Connectable, Black Rubber Cable

DECORATIONS

Most Popular

Christmas Figures & Sculptures
Light Up Reindeer
Christmas Garlands TRENDING
Christmas Gonks TRENDING
Christmas Wreaths

Other Categories

Christmas Picks
Christmas Table Decorations
Christmas Tree Decorations & Baubles
Christmas Tree Skirts
Christmas Tree Toppers
Outdoor Christmas Decorations
Shop All Christmas Decorations
FESTOON LIGHTS
OTHER

Indoor

Fairy Lights
Battery Fairy Lights
Bedroom Fairy Lights
Firefly Wire Fairy Lights
Shop All Fairy Lights
Battery Operated Lights
Lanterns
LED Candles TRENDING
Shop All Battery Lights
Other

Indoor

Fairy Lights
Battery Fairy Lights
Bedroom Fairy Lights
Firefly Wire Fairy Lights
Shop All Fairy Lights
Battery Operated Lights
Lanterns
LED Candles HOT
Shop All Battery Lights
Cupboard Lights
Indoor Festoon Lights
LED Trees
Light up Letters
Nanoleaf™ Smart Lighting
Twig Lights
Twinkly™ App Controlled Lights
Vintage Light Bulbs
Accessories
Batteries
Hooks & Clips
Plug Timers & Extension Leads
Storage Bags & Reels
Shop All Accessories

Outdoor

Festoon Lights TRENDING
Shop All Festoon Lights
Solar Lights
Solar Animal Lights
Solar Decking Lights
Solar Fairy Lights
Solar Fence Lights
Solar Lamp Posts
Solar Lanterns
Memorial Solar Lights
Solar Path Lights
Solar Security Lights
Solar Water Features
Solar Wind Chimes & Wind Spinners
Shop All Solar Lights
Other

Outdoor

Festoon Lights HOT
Shop All Festoon Lights
Solar Lights
Solar Animal Lights
Solar Decking Lights
Solar Fairy Lights
Solar Fence Lights
Solar Lamp Posts
Solar Lanterns
Solar Path Lights
Solar Security Lights
Solar Water Features
Solar Wind Chimes & Wind Spinners
Shop All Solar Lights
Colour Select
Curtain Lights
Garden Lanterns
Net Lights
Outdoor Battery Lights
Outdoor Fairy Lights
Rope Light
Shed Lights
Security Lights
String Lights
Twinkly™ App Controlled Lights
SALE
KNOWLEDGE

Christmas

Are Christmas lights expensive to run?
Christmas lights FAQs
How to install outdoor Christmas lights

ConnectGo®

ConnectGo® System Overview
ConnectGo® Accessories Overview
What's the difference between ConnectGo® and ConnectPro®?

FestoonPro®

FestoonPro® System Overview
How to use catenary wire and festoon poles

Solar Lights

Solar lights FAQs
Solar lights installation guide
Solar lights troubleshooting
Solar water fountain FAQs

General

Do outdoor lights use a lot of electricity?
Fairy lights FAQs
IP rating for lights

ConnectPro®

ConnectPro® System Overview
ConnectPro® Accessories Overview
What's the difference between ConnectGo® and ConnectPro®?

Twinkly

Basic setup
Mapping
Grouping
Resetting
  • Delivery
  • Returns
  • Login/Account
  • Business
  • Help
  • Blog
  • Register
  • Contact
  • Trustpilot
    Trustpilot
  • Delivery Delivery
    Free Standard GB Delivery Over £75
  • Festive Lights B2B Festive Lights B2B
    Visit our B2B site
  1. Knowledge Centre
  2. How to use catenary wire and festoon poles

KNOWLEDGE CENTRE MENU
CHRISTMAS
Are Christmas lights expensive to run?
Christmas Lights FAQs
How to install outdoor Christmas lights
CONNECTABLE LIGHTS
ConnectGo®
ConnectGo® Overview
ConnectGo® Accessories Overview
What's the difference between ConnectGo and ConnectPro?
ConnectPro®
ConnectPro® Overview
ConnectPro® Accessories Overview
What's the difference between ConnectGo and ConnectPro?
FestoonPro®
FestoonPro® Overview
How to use catenary wire and festoon poles
GENERAL
Do outdoor lights use a lot of electricity?
Fairy Lights FAQs
IP Rating for Lights
SOLAR LIGHTS
Solar Lights FAQs
Solar Lights Installation Guide
Solar Lights Troubleshooting
TWINKLY
Basic Setup
Mapping
Grouping
Resetting
RETURN TO KNOWLEDGE CENTRE
How to use catenary wire and festoon poles
How to use catenary wire and festoon poles

How to use catenary wire and festoon poles

Reduce stress on festoon lights cable

We strongly recommend the use of catenary wire when permanently installing festoon lights. Festoon poles are portable and, as such, offer a greater deal of flexibility for temporary installations. Read on and watch the videos below to discover when, why and how you should use them.

Using catenary wire to support festoon lights


Catenary wire ensures that the light cable is supported along the lit length when suspended. This avoids placing unnecessary stress on the cabling, which can cause damage to festoon lights over time.

Our recommendation is to use PVC coated garden wire, since metal wire can become hot and melt the plastic on your festoon lights.

Step-by-step: How to install catenary wire

  1. Attach the first end of the catenary wire to your chosen starting point (this may be a tree, hooks, screws, nails or wrapped on a festoon pole)
  2. Use hooks (if the festoons have hooks) or cable ties every 50cm to attach the catenary wire to the festoon lights cable
  3. Attach the end of the wire to the last point of the installation
  4. Cut off any excess catenary wire


Using festoon poles to support festoon lights


Festoon poles provide support for festoon and string light installations, where natural support from trees, fences, etc. isn't possible. This allows lights to be 'swagged' over longer distances.

Festoon poles are stainless steel, have a diameter of 22cm and arrive in 3 pieces: the bottom piece with a 30cm spike for staking into soft ground, the top piece with a hook for hanging the lights, and an optional middle piece to extend the overall height from 5ft (1.8m) to 8ft (2.4m) if desired. We recommend placing poles around 3m apart for optimal support.

Step-by-step: How to assemble and install festoon poles

  1. Connect together the two (or three if 8ft height is desired) pole pieces using the simple push lock mechanism
  2. Stake the pole into ground using the spike, pushing down on the step with your foot to ensure it goes in far enough
  3. Place poles approximately 3m apart
  4. Hang lights over the hooks - wrapping cable around, if necessary, to reduce the amount of drop on the cable

Frequently asked questions

Q: Should I use both catenary wire and festoon poles?

A: This depends upon the installation. Using festoon poles on their own is fine for temporary installations, but if the lights will be left up for some time, then we recommend using catenary wire too.

Facebook Twitter Instagram Pintrest Youtube LinkedIn TikTok
Amazon Pay American Express Apple Pay Google Pay
Klarna Master Card PayPal Visa

Customer Care

Support Contact Us Delivery Information Returns & Exchanges Product Knowledge Centre

About Us

About Inspiration Blog Lookbooks Sitemap

Information

Terms & Conditions Privacy Policy Site Security Cookie Policy Careers

Visit

© Festive Lights 2023