Have you ever hosted an outdoor event and realized after the sun went down that you needed more lighting? Then you’ll love the outdoor lights I’m sharing today which take less than 5 minutes to assemble and help you avoid the problem we experienced one dark and not-so-stormy Halloween night.

By the time the full moon rose on All Hallows’ Eve, J and I were in complete darkness. It was the first time our church had hosted a Trunk or Treat and it hadn’t occurred to them to rent more outdoor lighting since the parking lot had lights. We all learned a valuable lesson that night. Parking lot lights do not light up car trunks!

Here’s our Old MacDriver’s Farm trunk momentarily lit up by my camera’s flash:

Except for the taillights and a flashlight we shined on the candy pail, we were in complete darkness. Since that pitch-black Halloween, I’ve incorporated outdoor lighting into all of our nighttime festivities especially our Trunk or Treat trunks!

For our recent Magic Trick trunk, I added lights around the base of the magician’s hat to mimic the footlights around a theatrical stage. Click on the right side of the photo below to see how well these magical lanterns lit up our trunk at night.

Once you gather the supplies, you can assemble these outdoor lights in less than 5 minutes!

• Battery-Operated Paper Lantern
• Batteries
• Small Metal Bucket

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Piggy Bank Parties received free product samples from Oriental Trading for purposes of this post, but the opinions are 100% all mine.

1: ADD BATTERIES AS DIRECTED

2: ASSEMBLE LANTERN USING PACKAGE DIRECTIONS

3: TURN ON LIGHT

4: SET LANTERN ON BUCKET

HANK’S HINT: The weight of the battery pack keeps the lantern from blowing away. However, you can add rocks, sand or rice to the bucket then secure the lantern to the bucket with clear packing tape. Keep in mind, the tape may tear the lantern when removing it.

5: PLACE LANTERNS AROUND YOUR STAGE

I love how easy these are to assemble and the wow factor they added to our Magic Trick trunk. The glow from the outdoor lights is magical! Wouldn’t they look dreamy lining a walkway or around a patio or deck?

I’d love to see the outdoor lights you create! Tag your photos on social media with @piggybankparties or #piggybankparties and we might feature you!

DISCLAIMER: During inclement weather, use at your own risk and discretion. Paper lanterns and batteries don’t mix well with precipitation.