Festoon: Automotive Illumination or Festive Decoration?

WHAT IS A FESTOON BULB

A festoon bulb is cylindrical in shape with a pointed cap on each end. These points provide the electrical contact that powers the bulb, giving illumination through a filament or diode.

Originally, this meant illumination by an incandescent filament and now there are many varieties of LED festoon lamps.

Provided the sizing, voltage and other requirements are the same, an LED festoon bulb can be substituted for an incandescent festoon. To find a replacement bulb, measure the length of the bulb you have and match it to the new bulb. Festoon LEDs are offered in various single-colour and colour temperature options.

USES OF FESTOON BULBS

AUTOMOTIVE

Festoon LED bulbs emit bright, long-lasting light.

Festoon bulbs provide bright light in automotive applications. Often found in glove compartments and trunks. Many vehicles use these as dome lights, trunk lights, glove compartments, vanity, map and footwell illumination. In “aftermarket” applications, car enthusiasts will use festoon LEDs for decorative exteriors and on antennas to indicate location and flair.

CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

The AC/DC festoon LEDs are often used in address box illumination and for safety lighting on stairways. The elongated nature of the festoon lamps are suitable for shelving and linear illumination. Some cabinetry takes advantage of the double-pointed festoon design for easy replacement.

AGRICULTURE

This industry uses festoon lighting in chicken coops to enhance egg production when seasonal daylight is shorter. Low-voltage LEDs and festoon sockets are easy to wire up efficiently in both larger barns and small coops.

CIVIC UTILITIES

The utility industry uses festoon lamps for traffic signals and control box illumination for ease of maintenance and repair. Festoons can be designed into new systems and retrofitted into existing NEMA cases.

NAUTICAL

Festoons service navigational lights in boating, often running on low-voltage. On yachts, schooners and other vessels, red light indicates the port side while green designates the starboard side. A white festoon LED is used when the fittings on the boat have pre-existing red/green coloured glass. A red Festoon LED and a green festoon LED are used when the assemblies are made with clear glass or nautical-grade plastic.

THE MEANING OF THE WORD FESTOON AND ORIGINAL USES

Describing these bulbs as “festoons” relates to an older word, coined before the existence of electrical light technology.

According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the first known use of the word “festoon” was in 1610 “to refer to decorative chains or strips hung between two points.”  This might be in the form of architectural ornament, a chain of flowers, fabric drapery or other forms of decoration. 

This engraving shows festoon-style drapery with flowers, an example of the original use of the term.

This fragment of Ancient Egyptian pottery is described by the Metropolitan Museum in New York as having “festoon patterning.”

Today, some people refer to string lights like the above as “festoon lights.”  In this case, the term refers to the swooping drapes of the strings of lights, rather than the shape of the bulb or a double-point electrical functioning bulb.

Many would describe this brick building as being festooned with patriotic bunting.  In 1900, the structure held the post office and other businesses in Plymouth, New Hampshire, USA.

RS offers LED Festoon bulbs from JKL Components in a variety of colours and voltages as well as a mating festoon socket/bulb holder. In addition to vehicle and architectural replacements, festoon LED bulbs are great for general D-I-Y projects and for low-voltage lighting illumination.

LED INDICATOR LAMPS

Festoon Bulbs

Festoon Indicator Bulb Holders