Holiday lighting is no longer only about residential applications installed around Thanksgiving and removed after the New Year. The winter holidays and home owner-focused services remain core to the business and shouldn’t be overlooked.

But thinking beyond residential applications can create opportunities to increase revenue by serving businesses, communities, and event venues through creative high-quality lighting solutions.

Offering services that competitors overlook positions you as an industry leader. Here are five ideas to launch or expand your holiday lighting offers.

Beyond the obvious: Creative applications for holiday lighting

Any space where people gather—restaurants with patios, community centers, even local government buildings—can benefit from professional lighting. Contractors who proactively suggest lighting solutions for these venues demonstrate expertise and creativity, making them the go-to provider for future projects.

Here are three untapped holiday lighting opportunities for you to consider:

1. Commercial properties and retail centers

Contractors can offer both temporary holiday displays and permanent installations for patios, walkways, or signage. These can be done at strip malls, shopping centers, and standalone businesses, who are prime candidates for holiday and year-round lighting.

While standard holiday lighting typically has a 90-day limit per NEC, permanent perimeter roofline systems using RGBW color-changing options provide a long-lasting solution that extends usability year-round.

• How to sell: Lighting not only enhances curb appeal and creates a festive atmosphere, but also provides a sense of safety and security that draws customers in. Bright, welcoming storefronts and restaurants encourage people to linger and spend, and businesses that invest in professional lighting often see an uptick in after-hours traffic and revenue.
• Design tip: These venues often have metal roofs, making installation easier with magnetic clips. 
  

2. HOAs and community spaces

Homeowners’ associations frequently manage common areas like pools, clubhouses, and parks. These spaces are used for movie nights, holiday parties, and community events—and they can also serve as revenue generators when rented or leased out during downtime.

By offering lighting solutions, whether temporary for a specific event or permanent for year-round ambiance—contractors can help HOAs create inviting, functional spaces that residents love.

• How to sell: suggest lighting for entrances, pathways, or gathering areas can open doors to ongoing maintenance contracts and referrals.
• Design tip: Bistro or café lighting, RGBW installations, and tree wraps can transform outdoor spaces for special occasions.

3. Golf clubhouses and event venues

Golf courses, clubhouses and event venues are often overlooked markets for holiday and decorative lighting.

These locations host weddings, business parties, and family gatherings throughout the year. With the right lighting, venues can extend their use well into the nighttime hours, increase rental opportunities for non-golf events, and even offer member discounts to encourage more frequent use.

• How to sell: By positioning lighting as a way to enhance the venue’s appeal and rental value, contractors can secure larger, more complex projects.
• Design tip: Install blue and white twinkle lights in dry riverbeds to mimic the effect of moving water.

Holiday lighting trends

Install in October for Halloween, switch to autumn colors for Thanksgiving, and then transition seamlessly into Christmas displays—all without taking the lights down.

This flexibility is made possible with RGBW color-changing options, which extend usability across multiple seasons. While RGBW products carry a higher upfront cost, they significantly reduce labor by eliminating the need to swap out separate sets of lights for each holiday.

RGBW (red, green, blue, white) lighting is gaining popularity for its versatility. Animation features—such as twinkle, chase sequences, strobing, or multi-color effects—add visual interest and can be a major selling point for both residential and commercial clients.

While simple twinkle can be achieved with standard holiday light sets, most dynamic effects are best delivered through RGBW color-changing options.

Don’t overlook holiday lighting essentials. Greenery and bows act as the finishing touches that complete a display. Stake-mounted C9s along walkways and driveways help tie the roofline to the landscape, grounding the overall look of the project, while tree wrapping adds a whimsical, festive flair.

Tips for success

• Leverage your existing customer base. If you already work with HOAs or commercial clients for landscaping, introduce your lighting services. While the focus here is on opportunities beyond residential, homeowners shouldn’t be overlooked—residential landscape maintenance remains a huge market, and many landscapers can grow revenue quickly by adding holiday lighting to their offerings.
• Use professional-grade products for durability and consistent results. Purchase from suppliers that carry the same products from the same factories year after year to ensure consistent quality, product match, and color match as your business grows.
• Offer design consultations and share creative ideas—like animated lighting or themed displays—to inspire clients.
• Stay informed about local regulations, particularly for so-called “permanent” installations. In most cases, permanent installations refer to perimeter roofline products. Standard holiday lighting typically has a 90-day maximum installation if not installed by a licensed electrician, so it’s important to be precise when describing your offerings.

Holiday lighting is no longer just a seasonal add-on; it’s a proven way to diversify your services, generate recurring revenue, and strengthen client relationships. With the right strategy, holiday lighting can create new revenue and long-term growth for your company this fall and year-round.