Evoke Emotions: Enhance Your Event with Colorful Lighting Impact

by PORT on Jan 17, 2023 8:00:00 AM

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Imagine walking into a reception hall under a canopy of dozens of white, twinkling fairy lights. Now visualize walking into the same room and being greeted by red and yellow geometric light patterns reflected onto the walls and ceiling. The two scenarios create very different moods, right?

Light sets the tone for your environment, whether it’s a performance, event, or part of a building. The color of the lights can also be incredibly significant. Read on for some inspiration on how to leverage the power of these concepts!

Illuminating performances

Port+Lighting+Systems+Theatrical+Lighting+Design+and+Installation-1 Event lighting plays a key role in helping an audience understand what scene is about to take place or what type of song will be played. For example, in theatre, dark, dim, or blue lights fit a melancholy scene, such as when a character is ill. Conversely, white, bright lights are joyful, and natural light creates a sense of normalcy. Stark light creates a harsh environment to introduce an unsettling scene and red light signals danger or anger.

Just as music sets the mood, lights at a concert can flow seamlessly with the emotion that the artist hopes to convey. Stage lights that mimic natural candlelight would enhance a folk song and dim or blue lights would indicate the vocalist is about to play a slower or more somber song.

The luminaries themselves can also be the main event! Since 1956, the holiday season in Philadelphia has been synonymous with the Macy’s Christmas Light Show in the city’s historic Wanamaker Building. The performance includes classic Christmas songs and stories, but the primary attraction for crowds is the 10,000-light show finale including sparkling snowflakes, colorful candy canes, jaunty reindeer, and more.

“Lit” events

There are dozens of impactful lighting effects and colors that lighting designers use to create truly spectacular celebrations. Light sets the tone from the first step a guest takes into the space. Ambient lighting wash, used to fill an event hall or room with hued light, is one of the most popular effects. Simply changing the color of the wash can completely transform the tone. For example, at a wedding, a warm yellow glow creates a dreamy mood and vintage style, while the same ballroom illuminated with green ambient lighting would feel strange, or other-worldly.

At the Moving Massachusetts Forward 2019 Inaugural Event for Governor Charlie Baker, the Blue Wing of the Museum of Science was awash in purple light, which lent an energetic feel to the high-ceilinged lobby and illuminated the geometric sculptures suspended there. Purple calls to mind wisdom, imagination, and courage, all fitting emotions for an inaugural event. Later in the evening, when the governor took to the stage, the lights changed to blue, cueing the attendees that the more active pre-dinner portion of the evening was winding down.

Bright spaces and places

Memorial+bridge+Blue Exterior lighting on buildings is a dramatic way to draw attention to design elements, allowing a building’s features to tell a story and even setting visitors' expectations for what they may see upon entering.

Without lights, an architecturally significant bridge fades into the night sky, but with lights, it becomes an innovative sculpture, reflecting sparkling blue light on the water below.

Lighting can also be used to transform a dining space, which can in turn have a major impact on diners’ behavior. For example, a dimly lit area invites diners to linger, which is appropriate for a fine dining establishment, while patrons are more likely to eat quickly under brighter lights. Warmer-hued lights are best suited for the former while cooler bulbs are effective for the latter.

PORT – Illuminating ideas

At PORT, our lighting design experts will work with you to create a breathtaking lighting scheme to create any mood for your production, event, or building. In addition to an endless array of innovative ideas, we have the technical know-how to execute your project flawlessly. That’s because our designers are also installers. That means we’ll get it right the first time. Our services include: