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13 Fence Lighting Ideas

Black wrought iron fence with vintage light woven through and across top rod, greenery in background

Fences are practical and functional, helping us to define a space around our homes. Fences add protection, security and can help keep our pets and children safe. Adding lighting to your fencing can not only create a beautiful yard but can also increase safety throughout your exterior. Fence lighting doesn’t have to be stark and sterile; it can be beautiful too. Fence lighting can help define your yard and create an inviting, comfortable space.  

In general, fence lighting is a great idea to help define your yard and create an element of safety and security. Fence lighting comes in several colors, effects, and designs, making it well suited for just about every fence. Below, let’s take a closer look at the top 13 fence lighting ideas.  

Solar Rail Lighting

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Whether you have a tall fence or a railing-height fence, you can utilize this clever solar rail lighting. These lights are small, low-profile, and easy to install. If you have a flat surface on the top of your fence or railing, you can easily space the solar rail lights throughout the perimeter. These lights are easy to install and require little electrical knowledge. The lights are solar-powered, so they will recharge during the day and illuminate at night.

The solar panel is located on the top surface of the light, so you can rest assured that they will be positioned correctly once installed to maximize solar consumption. Solar fence lights are an excellent solution for people who want to minimize their carbon footprint or install lightning quickly and easily. These solar rail lighting options are sleek and inconspicuous so that they won’t compromise your fence and landscaping overall look and feel.   Solar lighting is incredibly popular for many homeowners.

Downward Lighting

Lighting doesn’t have to be only utilitarian; it can be beautiful too. Adding some lighting spaced out along your fence posts can create order and purpose for your exterior landscaping. Plus, there are loads of options for downward lighting. You can install a sleek and modern light to your fence posts or choose an ornate and artistic lighting fixture.

Choose to position lights on every post or space lighting out to every-other post to make your lighting installation go a little further. These lights are great for people with low landscaping around their fence line, still allowing homeowners to get the most out of their new lighting installation. Having tall plants in front of these post lights may not be the best option. Downward lighting around the fence post is elegant, beautiful, and easy to install. These lighting options come in solar or hardwired options.  

Full Of Color

Who says that Christmas lights can only be used around the holidays? Adding fun, multi-colored strand lights is a great option to create levity and make an inviting and lively yard. Your outdoor space will benefit fro this fun, festive, and creative outdoor lighting idea. Simply string multi-colored strand lights around your fence posts to bring some light and color to your space.

Because strand lights are easy to install and only require an outlet to plug in to, the lights can be used only for parties or events or all year round. These lights are fun and purposeful and can help bring life and activity to a space. Choose to space the lights farther apart with a shorter strand of lights, or place them close together, even overlapping the lights, with a longer strand. Multi-strand lights even come in LED lighting options to help your lights last longer and use less electricity.  

Elegant Lighting

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If you are looking for a lighting option that adds color, style, and some artistic elements, this elegant lighting option may be best for you. These lights can be positioned on the fence posts, spaced throughout your yard. The metal and glass materials are etched in a beautiful tree design, adding an artistic flair to your fence lighting options. Plus, the lights come in several colors, allowing you to choose a classic white color or jazz up your yard with fun reds, blues, or purples.

These lights are easy to install because they run off of solar power. There is no need for an electrician to hardwire these lights, and they will cost nothing to run. Hanging solar lights can be accomplished in an afternoon. The solar panel will simply absorb the sun’s light during the day and run the lights throughout the night. These lights can be positioned at any point on the fence post, allowing you to use any landscaping or plants around this lighting option., further highlighting outdoor spaces.  

Low Lighting

Although lighting around a fence is a great safety feature, lighting can be used for decorative purposes too. Using low lighting around the base of your fence is a great way to add drama and dimension to your overall landscaping theme. Low lights can help highlight landscaping and plants positioned around the fence line. Most low lighting, like this example, is made with small, pinpoint LED lights that are meant for visual interest rather than lighting. The low lighting can be hardwired in place or can be made with solar-powered lights.

Not only is low lighting beautiful, but it can help define the borders around your property too. If you really want to up the ante, you can combine low lighting with other lighting options on our list to create a beautiful yet functional and practical lighting scheme throughout your yard.   Low lighting can also be used as accent lighting for deck lights, creating a cohesive outdoor space. This lighting type provides soft light and can also be used for path lighting or garden lights, adding just the right twinkle of light to create a captivating and exciting landscape.

Combination Lighting

Why not get the best of both worlds? Combination lighting creates a stunning hourglass lighting effect on the fence line. This light provides downward light in combination with upward light. Not only can combinations create a beautiful aesthetic around your property, but they can also create functional security and task lighting. Downward lighting can help illuminate landscaping and features at the ground level surrounding your fence, while upward lighting helps to define the space surrounding your yard.

Plus, the combination lighting creates an intricate pattern along your fence, adding an artistic appeal. This type of lighting is usually hardwired in place, although it may be possible to find solar-powered options. Be sure to use this lighting with mid or low-level plants so that you don’t block the light from the fixture. These light fixtures should be installed about midway down the fence post.  

Low Profile Lighting

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If you are searching for a lighting option with a low profile, this sleek and elegant light may be the right option. These small, flat, circular lights are easy to install and have a very low profile. The lights simply attach to your fence post and provide light aimed downward. They are unobtrusive and essentially go unnoticed during the day.

Plus, these lights can go just about anywhere, so it’s possible to use them on other hardscape designs you have through your yard, such as stone walls, stairs, or railings. These lights must be hardwired to a power source, requiring some advanced installation. But, several lights can be strung together, reducing the amount of time needed for installation. These lights are sold as an 8-pack or a 12-pack, allowing you to landscape small or large projects. Multiple packs can be put together for larger spaces.  

Curtain Lighting

Curtain lighting can create a fun, dramatic landscape for any yard. Installing curtain lights on your fence is a sure way to jazz up your exterior and create a playful environment. Curtain lighting can be accomplished with multiple strands of standard holiday lighting. The lights should be run vertically and close together. The more strands of lights you use, the denser the curtain will become. While this fence is pictured with standard white lighting, you can create the same curtain look with multi-colored string lights too.

Curtain lighting is easy to install and looks great all year long. Plus, curtain lighting requires only a simple outlet to plug the lights in to. This type of lighting can also look great on railings and decks, so the options are endless when it comes to curtain lighting. Try to buy LED light options so that you can not only reduce your energy consumption but also extend the overall life of each individual light bulb, securing your overall investment.  

Bistro Lighting

Although it is quite common to see bistro lights strung around a patio or deck, this lighting type can also be used to illuminate a fence. Bistro lighting is a fun, modern way to give your fence line a little something special. The bistro lighting usually comes on a strand of lights that will plug into a conventional outlet. Choose to install a straight strand of lights across the top of your fence line, or add some drama and length by festooning the lights, creating small swags every few feet. Bistro lighting is incredibly popular and easy to install, making this an attractive option for homeowners around the world.

Plus, bistro lights are versatile, so they can easily blend in with lights you have on your patio, deck, or railing in other parts of the home and yard.  Bistro lighting is easy to install and can be put in place just for an event or a party.  Installing bistro lighting can take just a few hours, and can be completed in an afternoon.  

Sphere Lighting

Adding something unique and special to your fence line can create an artistic element to your lighting. These low-profile sphere lights create an interesting light pattern in an X-shape along your fence line. These lights are fun and interesting, adding a new element to your backyard.  The globe lights come in a black or white finish, allowing them to blend in with any landscaping theme and decor you have. These lights are decorative and provide enough task lighting to safely navigate the areas around the fence line.

These lights can be placed either high or low on the fence panel, allowing them to work with any landscaping you may have. Keep in mind to get the full effect of the sphere lighting, you’ll need to have enough room for the illumination on both the top and bottom of the sphere.  Having large branches or plants blocking parts of the globe light can impact the pattern these creative and fun lights will create.

Post Lighting

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Instead of placing lights on the fence walls, consider adding lighting to the top of the fence posts. This light effect will not only help define the individual posts, but it will help project the light upward and outward. Post lights are an excellent option for both landscape lighting and security lighting. There are several post light designs, and most are easy to install, fitting around a standard 4-inch by 4-inch post.

These lights can be hardwired or solar-powered, making installation easy. Plus, solar-powered lights are a minimal expense, never drawing from the grid from power consumption. Post lighting can be simple or decorative, allowing you to create a custom design in your own backyard.  Usually, post lighting is added to a wooden fence but can fit over a metal or vinyl fence in some cases.