Outdoor Gazebo Lighting Ideas for This Summer

Everyone loves summer. It’s a great time to put on your newest swimsuit and go swimming. It’s also a time to sit outside for BBQ and conversations with the family.

That’s why your outdoor gazebo will come in handy this season. Gazebos are perfect for sitting outside on those hot summer days. They come to life at night when fitted with gorgeous lights. Whether it is a temporary pop-up gazebo that you set up when the time is right or a permanent one with pillars and a roof, you can make your gazebo the centerpiece of your yard.

If you are looking to spruce up your gazebo with some beautiful new lighting, then this article is for you. Read on to get five gazebo lighting ideas that will make this summer memorable.

1. Add Deck Lighting

Deck lights are sturdy and used to highlight your decking. There are several deck light ideas you can use to light up your space:

Deck Stair Lights: These are installed on the steps of your deck heading to your gazebo. Lights, like our CAST Classic Engineered Wall Lights, provide illumination when mounted under the ledge of the steps or deck. No more tripping or feeling your way around outdoor stairs at night.
In-Floor Deck Lights: These recessed lights are fitted on the floor of your deck. They illuminate the floor and provide light upward toward the gazebo. You can use the SOURCE by CAST Recessed Up Light or our Recessed Mini Wall Two-Sided Wash Light for this purpose.
Deck Post Cap Lights: Fitted just underneath the post cap, they provide illumination and add to the ambience at night.
Under-Rail Deck & Post Lights: You can install under-rail deck and post lights on the walls and posts of your gazebo. Fixtures like our CAST Classic Savannah Deck Light will add a bit of flair to your gazebo.

Adding lighting fixtures to your gazebo allows you to enjoy your gazebo in the evening. A nice lighting scheme can make your gazebo a feature of your yard, making it a natural focal point.

2. Use Bamboo Lights to Create Ambience

Bamboo lights are a great way to add some evening character to your yard. You can strategically place them in groups or individually around low bushes and shrubbery. They naturally draw the eye without being overpowering.

Bamboo lights arrainged behind an outdoor couch

Above is an image of some of our beautifully produced SOURCE Bamboo Lights installed around outdoor seating. The lights create a relaxing and cozy atmosphere with no glare. It’s easy to imagine yourself enjoying the space with friends and family.

3. Make Your Trees a Feature of the Yard

Lighting up your trees is one of the best ways to transform your yard into a magical place at night. Decorators will tell you this is one of the best landscape lighting ideas. There are numerous ways you can use lights to illuminate your trees. Let’s explore some of them:

Uplights make a dramatic statement in your garden. If you want to give your trees a chance to shine, uplight them and give them the spotlight.

A backyard tree at night lit with uplighting

Uplighting is great for big trees like oak trees. The right tree uplighting adds a sense of grandeur to your yard and outdoor spaces. Creating focal points will help you make the most of your yard.
You can use discreet spike bullet lights, like our MR-16 Bullet Light, for smaller trees lining a pathway. In-ground LED lights, like our CAST Craftsman Series Bronze Ground Lights, are great for trees that are near a neat lawn.

A CAST Craftsman Bronze Ground Light installed in a bed of mulch

Not sure which ones to get? There’s an easy fix for that. Go outside at night with a flashlight and shine the light up each tree from the ground. Try different angles to see what lights up each tree the best. This exercise is a good starting point for a conversation with a lighting designer.
Finally, you can fix lights on a tree for some downlighting. For example, our CAST Classic LED Tree Lights can make your yard look magical and creates a soft moonlighting effect. It’s something you’ll appreciate when you’re having a cozy summer-night dinner with friends or family.

4. Draw People’s Eyes to the Perimeter of Your Yard

If you have an expansive property and little lighting, visibility is limited. That often means you’re staring out into the darkness, which can feel a little intimidating and insecure—especially when you hear noises, like the rustling of leaves, but can’t see what caused the noise.

Fence posts with lights along the perimeter of a backyard.

Perimeter lighting keeps your backyard garden secure and makes the yard feel larger. You can easily fit perimeter lighting on the fencing around your yard. You can play around with the light bulbs to create that perfect setting. White, orange, and yellow are the most common hues for outdoor lighting. This guide discusses how bright landscape lighting should be in some depth.

5. Connect the Gazebo to the House With Path Lighting

One lighting idea you might want to experiment with is using path lights to create a natural flow between the gazebo and your home. The path lights will naturally connect the gazebo to your home. They also, rather handily, illuminate the path, so you don’t have to worry about tripping on an uneven slab.

A gazebo lit with CAST path lighting

We have a large range of tastefully designed path lights to choose from that would fit your home’s exterior decor. For instance, our CAST Classic Small Mushroom Path Light has a timeless design. Our CAST Classic Small China Hat Path Lights are also a favorite with customers for their beautiful design and rugged construction.

Conclusion

When the weather is great and the evenings are warm, it’s natural to want to make the most of your yard. In this guide, we touched on some fun outdoor lighting ideas for this summer you might want to consider that will make your gazebo the focal point of your yard.

The most important first step is to add proper deck lighting to your gazebo. That will ensure the gazebo is properly illuminated so you can see and enjoy the space.

Once you’ve installed suitable lighting, consider the area surrounding the gazebo. You can use a combination of lights to illuminate shrubs and bushes and the path leading to the gazebo. With the right lighting design, you’ll create a relaxing ambience.

Finally, you might want to illuminate things in the distance, so you have something to focus on while sitting in the gazebo. For example, you might want to fix perimeter lights to the fencing around your yard. Or, there may be some trees that you want to illuminate. You can do this by attaching lighting fixtures to the trees, which can create a beautiful moonlight effect, or light up the trees from below.

You now have gazebo light ideas that can help make your summer outdoors memorable. Create your backyard retreat and share the space with family and friends. Enjoy!