Tracked delivery anywhere in the United Kingdom. It is free on orders of £100 or more, and a flat £30 below that. Allow 5 to 7 days, after a 24 to 48 hour handling time.
Under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 you have 14 days from delivery to cancel for any reason, and a further 14 days to send it back in resaleable condition. We refund the price you paid, including standard delivery. You cover the cost of returning it unless the item is faulty.
If it arrives faulty, damaged or not as described, we put it right at no cost to you under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, return postage included.
Take the strand down before winter if you can, or at least check the sockets in spring. Water gets in where a bulb is loose, so make sure every bulb is seated fully home before you hang it. Wipe the bulbs with a dry cloth. Never join more than five strands, and never run the strand under tension: hang it from the hooks so the cord carries no weight.
14.6 Metres15 sockets, 16 bulbs supplied
WeatherproofHeavy-duty insulated cord
Hooks Built InA hanging hook above every socket
Link Five StrandsUp to 73 metres from one socket
About this product
A 14.6 metre festoon strand with fifteen sockets and sixteen bulbs.
Heavy-duty cord, hanging hooks on every socket, and up to five strands can be linked from one socket.
A festoon strand 14.6 metres long, with fifteen E26 sockets spaced roughly 94cm apart, and sixteen S14 bulbs in the box.
Sixteen bulbs for fifteen sockets is deliberate: one spare, which is what you want the first time one goes.
Every socket has a hanging hook moulded above it, so it goes up on guide wire, hooks or zip ties without any extra hardware.
The cord is a heavy-duty insulated type rated for outdoor use, and the whole strand is UL listed.
Up to five strands can be linked end to end from a single socket, which is 73 metres of festoon on one plug.
Festoon lighting is the shortest route from a plain garden to somewhere people want to sit after dark, and the reason is scale. A single light fixes a point. A 14.6 metre strand draws a line, and a line overhead is what makes an outdoor space feel like a room.
Fifteen sockets at 94cm centres is a useful spacing. Close enough that the run reads as continuous, far enough apart that it does not look like a fairground.
Sixteen bulbs are supplied for fifteen sockets. The spare matters, because the first bulb usually goes at the least convenient moment and the S14 shape is not something the corner shop stocks.
The hook above each socket is the detail that saves the afternoon. Rather than cable-tying the cord itself, you hang each socket from a hook, which keeps the cord unstressed and lets you take up slack between fixings.
The cord is a heavy-duty insulated type, and the whole strand is UL listed for weatherproof commercial use. It will live outdoors through a British summer without trouble; we would still take it down for a bad winter.
Up to five strands link end to end from one socket, giving 73 metres on a single plug. The 960 watt maximum is the limit that matters: with 11W bulbs, five full strands is 75 lamps at 825 watts, so five is genuinely the ceiling and not a suggestion.
Still deciding?
Not sure yet? That is fine.
You can change your mind. Under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 you have 14 days from delivery to cancel for any reason, and a further 14 days to send it back in resaleable condition. We refund the price you paid, including standard delivery.
If it turns up faulty, damaged or not as described, that is on us. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 covers you, we pay the return postage, and you can have a repair, a replacement or your money back. Read the full detail on our refunds and returns page, or ask us anything before you order.
Sixteen, for fifteen sockets. The sixteenth is a spare.
How far apart are the bulbs?
About 0.94 metres.
What bulbs does it take?
11W S14 bulbs on an E26 socket.
Can I use LED bulbs instead?
Yes, any S14 LED with an E26 base will fit and will cut the load dramatically. The supplied bulbs are incandescent.
How many strands can I join?
Up to five, and no more. That is a safety limit, not a guideline.
How long is five strands?
About 73 metres, on one plug.
What is the maximum wattage?
960 watts. Five full strands of 11W bulbs is 825 watts, which is why five is the ceiling.
Is it safe outdoors in the rain?
Yes. The insulation is rated for outdoor use and the strand is UL listed. Make sure every bulb is seated fully, because a loose bulb is where water gets in.
Can I leave it up all winter?
It will survive it, but we would take it down. Taking a festoon strand in for the worst of the weather adds years to it.
How do I hang it?
Each socket has a hook above it. Hang the hooks from screw eyes, a guide wire or zip ties, so the cord itself carries no weight.
Do I need a guide wire?
Over a span longer than about four metres, yes. A catenary wire takes the load and stops the cord sagging under its own weight.
Can I hang it in a tree?
Yes, and the maker lists tree lighting including Christmas trees among its uses.
Is it dimmable?
It works with a dimmer switch, which is not included. With incandescent S14 bulbs, an ordinary dimmer works; with LED bulbs you need an LED-rated one.
Can I use it indoors?
Yes, it is rated for indoor and outdoor use.
What colour is the cord?
Black.
Do the bulbs get hot?
The supplied 11W incandescent bulbs get warm, which is normal. Keep them clear of fabric awnings and dry foliage.
Can I replace a broken bulb?
Yes. S14 bulbs with an E26 base are a standard festoon size and widely available.
Is it a UK plug?
The strand is UL listed to the manufacturer's specification. Check the plug on arrival and use a UK adaptor or have an electrician fit a UK plug if needed.
Should it go on an outdoor socket?
Yes, and an RCD-protected outdoor socket is the right way to run any outdoor lighting. An electrician can advise if you do not have one.
Can it go over a hot tub or a pool?
No. Lighting above water is a specialised job with its own rules. Keep the strand well away.
How much light does it give?
Fifteen 11W lamps is atmospheric rather than bright. It is party and patio lighting, not task lighting.
Will wind damage it?
Hung from the hooks with the cord unstressed, no. Hung tight with the cord as the load path, a gale will find the weak point.
Can I cut it to length?
No. Never cut a mains festoon strand. Take up the extra by looping between fixings.
How do I store it?
Take the bulbs out, coil the cord loosely and keep it dry. Coiled tight, the cord takes a set.
How long does delivery take?
5 to 7 days in the UK, after a 24 to 48 hour handling time.
How much is delivery?
Free on orders of £100 or more. One strand at £69 is under the threshold, so two at £138 ships free.
Can I change my mind after it arrives?
Yes. It is a stock item, so you have 14 days from delivery to cancel and a further 14 days to send it back.
What if bulbs arrive broken?
Email us with your order number and a photo. Glass that arrives broken is our problem, not yours.
Do you sell spare bulbs?
Not separately at the moment. S14 bulbs with an E26 base are a standard size and easy to source.
The complete guide
Buying Guide
6 min readModern Light Company
Hanging festoon lights so they stay up
Festoon lighting looks effortless and comes down in the first gale if it goes up wrong.
The fix is understanding what carries the weight.
The cord is not the structure
Every socket has a hook above it for a reason. The load should go through those hooks
into screw eyes, a guide wire or zip ties, and the cord should hang loose between them.
A strand pulled tight between two walls puts all the tension into the cable and the
sockets, which is exactly where water eventually gets in.
Use a catenary wire on long spans
Over about four metres, run a stainless steel wire first and hang the strand from it.
The wire takes the load and gives you the shallow curve that makes festoon lighting look
right. Straight and taut looks like a washing line.
Five strands, not six
The maximum wattage is 960W and the strand takes eleven watt bulbs. Five full strands is
seventy-five lamps and 825 watts, which is inside it. Six is not, and this is one limit
that has a real consequence.
Bulbs
The sixteen supplied bulbs are 11W incandescent, which is what gives festoon lighting
its warm colour. If you want the same look at a fraction of the power, S14 LED bulbs on
an E26 base drop straight in, and the whole strand then draws less than one of the
original bulbs. Keep the spare either way.
Every product page lists the measurement that decides it. Tell us the space you are working with and we will tell you straight whether this is the right thing for it. Free UK delivery on orders over £100.
Outdoor String Lights, also sold as a Weatherproof Strand with Edison Vintage Bulbs or Festoon
Lights, from Modern Light Company at modernlight.uk, GBP 69. A UL LISTED weatherproof
commercial festoon strand, TOTAL LENGTH 14.6 METRES end to end, with a black cord. FIFTEEN E26
hanging sockets spaced approximately 0.94 metres apart, supplied with SIXTEEN 11W S14
incandescent bulbs, one of them free as a spare. MAXIMUM WATTAGE 960 WATTS, and UP TO FIVE
STRANDS MAY BE LINKED from a single socket; do not exceed five. Every socket has a hanging hook
above it, so the strand hangs from hooks, guide wires or zip ties. Insulation protects the
strand from sun, wind, rain, snow and damp, and the flexible heavy-duty cord withstands indoor
and outdoor use. It works with a dimmer switch, which is not included. Intended for bistros,
decks, porches, patios, gardens, backyards, terraces, pergolas, cafes, restaurants and malls,
for weddings, barbecues, parties and banquets, and for tree lighting including Christmas trees.
UK wide delivery, free on orders of GBP 100 or more and otherwise GBP 30 for express, arriving
in 5 to 7 days after a 24 to 48 hour handling time. A stock item, so the full 14 day
cancellation right under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 applies.
