How early should lighting be installed on event day?

Ideally hours before guests arrive — and for complex installs, the day before. Overhead rigging shouldn't be happening around caterers and florists. We schedule installs with your venue's bump-in window so everything is glowing and tested before anyone walks in.

What if my venue has almost no power?

It's more common than you'd think, especially at hinterland and beach venues. We plan power distribution as part of every install, and for off-grid sites we can arrange generator power. Flag it early and it's just another line on the checklist.

Do I need council or venue approval for event lighting?

Private venues usually just require your supplier's insurance and test-and-tag documentation, which we provide. Public spaces and festivals can require council approvals, especially for lasers or large rigs — we've handled that paperwork across the Gold Coast and Northern Rivers and can guide you through it.

Who takes the lighting down after the event?

We do. Packdown is included in every Lume Hire booking — usually the morning after, so your night isn't ending with crew pulling cables around your last guests. Nothing on this checklist is your job after the event ends.

Planning Checklist

The event lighting checklist

The exact checklist our crew runs before every install across the Gold Coast, Byron Bay, Brisbane and the Northern Rivers. Work through it before you book any lighting — ours or anyone else's — and your event night gets a lot less exciting, in the best way.

Venue & Power

Know your site before you choose your lights

Start with the boring questions, because they decide everything else. What are the rigging points — trees, beams, poles, or nothing (in which case you'll need free-standing posts)? What's the ceiling or canopy height? Where is power, how many circuits are available, and are they RCD-protected? Is vehicle access close to the install area, or is everything being carried in by hand? What time can suppliers bump in, and does packdown have to happen the same night? We ask all of this on every job from Surfers Paradise ballrooms to paddocks outside Lismore, because the answers change the quote, the gear list and the crew size. If you don't know the answers, ask your venue coordinator — or just send us the venue name; after 10+ years we've likely already lit it.

Crew assessing a venue during an event lighting installation

Timing & Weather

Plan against sunset, and assume it will rain

Look up sunset time for your exact date and location — not roughly, exactly. Your lighting matters from about thirty minutes before sunset onward, so the run sheet should have speeches, first dances and reveals landing after the glow does. In winter, Northern Rivers events go dark before 5:30pm; in January on the Gold Coast you've got daylight until nearly 8pm. Then plan weather like a pessimist: is every fixture rated for rain (ours are IP64 waterproof, tested and tagged), are cables protected and elevated, and is there a wind plan for anything overhead? An honest supplier designs the install so weather is a non-event. Our installation service builds all of this in — it's the difference between hiring lights and hiring a lighting crew.

Outdoor event lighting glowing after sunset

Look & Layers

Lock the look, then lock the logistics

With site and timing sorted, the fun part: decide your layers. Overhead first — festoon or fairy canopy sets the whole mood. Then feature pieces: marquee letters, chandeliers, pendants, table centrepiece lighting. Then colour: uplighting in your palette, or DMX-programmed changes if the event moves through phases. Collect three to five inspiration photos and share them with your supplier — a photo communicates more than any adjective. Finally, confirm the operational details in writing: delivery time, install window, who's on site to meet the crew, packdown time, and a contact number for the night. Every Lume Hire quote covers delivery, install and packdown as standard, quoted within 24 hours. Run this checklist and the lighting becomes the thing you stopped worrying about months ago.

Layered event lighting with overhead, feature and colour elements

Frequently asked

: Ideally hours before guests arrive — and for complex installs, the day before. Overhead rigging shouldn't be happening around caterers and florists. We schedule installs with your venue's bump-in window so everything is glowing and tested before anyone walks in.
: It's more common than you'd think, especially at hinterland and beach venues. We plan power distribution as part of every install, and for off-grid sites we can arrange generator power. Flag it early and it's just another line on the checklist.
: Private venues usually just require your supplier's insurance and test-and-tag documentation, which we provide. Public spaces and festivals can require council approvals, especially for lasers or large rigs — we've handled that paperwork across the Gold Coast and Northern Rivers and can guide you through it.
: We do. Packdown is included in every Lume Hire booking — usually the morning after, so your night isn't ending with crew pulling cables around your last guests. Nothing on this checklist is your job after the event ends.

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