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Light Up the Fun: The Best Lighting & Bunting for the Fairground Feeling at Home
Creating that magical fairground atmosphere at home isn’t just about the games and snacks — it’s all about the vibe. And nothing says “funfair magic” quite like the glow of twinkly lights and colourful bunting fluttering in the breeze. Whether you’re hosting a garden party, kids’ birthday, or just recreating that nostalgic fairground feel, here are some of my best lighting and bunting ideas to bring the fairground fun to life!
Let There Be Light
Fairy Lights
Fairy lights are the ultimate crowd-pleaser. They’re dainty, versatile, and perfect for wrapping around gazebos, trees, fences — even tabletops!
Here are my Top 3 picks for Warm White Fairy Lights for each of the main power sources.
| Best Battery | Best Solar | Best mains | |
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Product | DBFAIRY 2 Pack | Lezonic | Lights4fun |
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No. of Lights | 200 (2 x 100) | 120 | 100 |
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Length | 20m (10m x 2) | 12m | 8m |
Controller | Remote | Button | Button and Remote |
Modes | 8 and Dimmable | 8 | Dimmable |
Check Price |
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Festoon Lights
Looking for something a bit more retro and festival-inspired? Festoon lights bring big fairground energy with large bulbs that give off a soft, golden glow.
| Best Battery | Best Solar | Best Mains | |
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Product | DSLebeen | Warlisou | Kolpop |
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No. of Lights | 16 | 22 | 30 |
Length | 12m | 15m | 23m |
Waterproof |
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Controller | Button | Remote | Remote |
Modes | 1 | 3 and Dimmable | Dimmable |
Check Price |
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LED Strip Lights
Want something bolder? LED strip lights offer a modern twist with 16 million colours to choose from and a whole host of colour-changing options to play with. Setting the mood and getting creative is a cinch with modes, speeds, music synchronisation and brightness levels. They can all be operated through a variety of means like remote controls, smart phone apps and in some cases voice control through Alexa or Google Assistant. Let’s Get the Party Started!
| Best RGB | Best RGBIC | Best Outdoor | |
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Brand | KSIPZE | Govee | TENDIST |
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These lights are good value and great fun. They have different modes like jump and flashing which can be set at different speeds. They can be dimmed, timed and will synchronise with your music. Operation is via a supplied remote control or a smart phone app you download. | With RGB lights all of the bulbs show the same colour at the same time. With RGBIC there is some Independent Control across different segments. This allows for multi-coloured lighting effects like gradients, rainbows and waves. | These are mains operated and the wall plug is not waterproof. From the indoor plug you get a 1m (could be longer) cable to a waterproof controller box and then another 1m to the lights which are all attached through waterproof connectors. | |
Effects | RGB | RGBIC | RGB |
Lengths | 10, 20, 30 | 5, 10, 20 | 15, 30, 40 (2 x 20) |
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Music Sync |
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Controller | Remote / Phone App | Phone App | Remote, Phone App, Alexa, Google Assistant |
Timer |
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Check Price |
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Bring on the Bunting
Bunting comes in a whole heap of materials and styles and so choosing the perfect fit for your themed fun should be easy.
If you are looking for a one and done then some Paper bunting may be just the job. If you are looking for something with a more classic feel that can be used over and over then you can opt for some Fabric bunting with choices in cotton, hessian, felt or even lace. Cardboard can be a good choice for customisation but with the good old British weather in mind then the sensible option could be waterproof and durable Polyester bunting.
With the material choice out of the way then real fun starts with choosing your style – plain or pastel, stripes of polka dots, floral or neon, maybe some Union Jacks. Go fancy with some shaped bunting in hearts, stars, animals or ice creams or be dazzling and electrifying by adding some LED lighting to your bunting.
Here is my Bunting Bonanza to hopefully bring you some inspiration!
Fairground Bunting
For a fairground or circus theme then you can’t go wrong with plain flags in an array of colours.
| Red, White & Blue | Multi Colour Nylon | Multi Colour Polyester |
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Vintage Bunting
To create that traditional English feel opt for some bunting in pastel colours or with floral or vintage styling.
| Pastel | Vintage | Floral |
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Striped and Shapes
If you have some disdain for the plain then how about Stripes, Polka Dots or Squares.
| Stripes | Polka Dots | Squares |
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Themed Bunting
If you’re creating a theme that just has to be seen then how about some Bunnies, Dogs or Pirates.
| Bunnies | Dogs | Pirates |
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Flag Bunting
If putting up a flag is your bag then take a trip around the world or stay closer to home with some Union Jacks or Welsh Dragons.
| World Flags | Union Jacks | Welsh Dragons |
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Something Different
If you want your bunting to have something a little extra or a little different then how about some Tassels, Bobbles or Bohemian styling.
| Tassels | Bobbles | Bohemian |
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Ready to create your fairground dream?
With the right mix of lighting and bunting you will be setting the stage for memories that sparkle.