Theme-Setting 101: Lights Further Continued; other lighting options

Of course, sometimes you want to go all out ... here are a few additional ideas for doing just that:

Red Incandescent Bulbs

Of the colored bulbs, probably the most useful to have around. Good for Christmas, good for underlighting skulls stuck on bamboo poles out in your yard, great if you have a bar area or improvised dance floor – red light is very flattering for most skin tones, and the women at your party will love being seen in its warm glow.

Black Lights

If you have a basement or garage area that you want to temporarily convert into a party space, consider replacing your fluorescent shop lights with black lights instead. Don’t fall for the cheap ‘black light’ incandescent bulbs offered at some places; these are just dark purple-colored bulbs, do not emit the characteristic spectrum of black light radiation, and have a tendency to overheat – use fluorescent bulb black lights only. The least expensive option I’ve found for 4-foot black light shop tubes is at Home Depot, at about $15 each. A dance hall jazzed up with black lights is seriously cool!

Note: While black lights in your bathroom for a Halloween party might seem like a good idea, it is best avoided, as urine glows quite brilliantly under black light, and your guests probably have no desire to know the extent to which other guests have missed!

Light Machines

Of course, we know about these – disco balls, those units at nightclubs that shoot gyrating beams of color around the dance floor area, what have you. For the overachiever, these are available, and for a machine sized for the recreation room of the average home, might not be as expensive as you think – depending where you shop. Its worth noting that these units generally do pull more than a little power, so if you use one, be prepared to notice it on your electrical bill. Also, be sure to plug the light machine into a circuit that is not being used for too much else, and test it by turning EVERYTHING you plan to have going at the party on, long before the party starts – better to flip a few breaker switches then than during the middle of your event. Once, after conducting such a test early on, the party had just gotten started and I turned on the blender for the first time to make a pitcher of drinks, and CLICK! -- off went the lights. Frantic rerouting of extension cords ensued; not what you want to be doing while guests are still arriving and food’s coming out of the oven!

At any rate, for turning one's home into a nightclub, we've had pretty good luck with Cheaplights, online. Have added a link for this now to our Party Supply Links.

Nothing says "Yeah, Baby!" quite like a well-placed disco ball.
The finishing touch in this party space was a small, battery-
powered disco ball that cost $25 or less.