How to hang festoon lights

Festoon lights are a great way to introduce soft, ambient lighting to your outdoor area. Light sets come in a range of styles and colours, including energy-efficient LED light bulbs. To create a festive atmosphere, you can opt for warm white (like we have) or liven up the party by choosing coloured bulbs. Solar festoon lights are a convenient and sustainable alternative to battery or mains-powered lighting.

Once you've picked out your hanging lights, decide where you’d like to hang them in your outdoor settings. You might want to hang string lights to create ambient outdoor lighting in your garden or backyard, drape them across your balcony or attach them to posts, pergolas or other outdoor structures. Choose a longer length for more flexibility or try crisscrossing them for effect – the design is up to you. Once you’ve decided on the look and location, measure and mark up where you want to put your steel wire eye strap – this will form the anchor point for your lights.

This length of wire rope will be what reinforces your lights and keeps them hanging in the correct position. The easiest way to measure how much you'll need is to set your measuring tape to one metre, then unspool the wire according to how many metres you'll need. Add an extra 30cm to each end of your rope to ensure you've got enough for mounting. Once you've got your desired length, use the wire cutter on your swage crimper to cut the rope.

Thread your swage through the wire rope. Create a loop and thread the wire back through the swage, pulling it tight before adding your rope thimble into the loop you've created. Push it up to make sure it's tight. Using your swaging tool, crimp the swage closed to make sure the wire rope stays in place.

Put your eye strap through the loop you've just created – you're now ready to create your first mounting point. Screw in your eye strap to the point you previously marked on your wall.

Connect your wire rope to the metal eye strap, then create another loop at the other end, threading back through the swage. Add another rope thimble and clamp using your swage tool. Pull the wire rope tight before clamping down.

For mains-powered lights, start with the end that has the power point connection to make sure you don't run out of lead – you may need to use an outdoor extension cord – and then start hanging your lights. Gradually attach festoon lights along the wire rope, securing the festoon cable with cable ties as you go. (Remember to cut off any extra lengths to keep things neat). If you would like your lights to be straight, link your cable ties close together and pull taut. If you'd like a draping effect, spread the cable ties out and leave them a little loose.