Everything listed here is sold on Amazon UK. Prices checked on 3 October 2026.

The Christmas DreamTrees · lights · decorations · gifts

Fairy lights: wire, battery and solar strings

Thin-wire and cable strings of small LEDs for trees, wreaths, shelves, bedrooms and gardens, mostly 2 m to 20 m long. Half of the sets run on batteries, and the rest on mains, USB or solar. Most cost between £5 and £18, and the IP rating tells you whether a string can go outside.

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Prices checked on Amazon UK on 3 October 2026; they may have changed since. The price ranges and medians quoted in the text of this page come from the check of 29 September 2026. Ratings and review counts are those of Amazon shoppers. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

Fairy lights: what the name covers

Fairy lights is a loose term. Shops use it for a 2 m strand of 20 LEDs, a 20 m string for a garden, and curtain and solar sets alike. What they share is a thin wire or cable with small bulbs along it, usually 10 cm apart: 50 LEDs on 5 m, 100 on 10 m, 200 on 20 m.

Nearly all of them use LED bulbs. The comparison of LED and incandescent Christmas lights covers running costs and the colour of the glow.

Copper wire or cable

About half of the strings here use bare copper wire, and the rest use a plastic-coated cable. Wire is thin and holds the shape you bend it into, which suits wreaths, jars and branches. Cable is thicker and stays put along a fence, a gutter or a pergola.

Battery, mains, USB or solar

PowerLengths hereGood forWatch for
Battery, often 3 AA2 to 13 mWreaths, shelves, jars, bedroomsBatteries run down, so look for a timer
Mains or USB plug2 to 20 mTrees, headboards, fencesThe lead must reach a socket or an adapter
Solar7 to 16 mGarden fences and shrubsA small charge on short winter days

Battery strings cost the least here, solar sets sit in the middle, and the dearest sets are long plug-in strings. Our guide to solar or battery Christmas lights explains how long batteries last and how much a winter day charges a solar panel.

Outdoor fairy lights and the IP rating

Go by the IP number, not by the word waterproof. Some listings here call a string waterproof while also showing an IP30 rating or an indoor-only line. IP44 means the casing resists splashes from any direction, and IP65 means it resists water jets, so IP44 is the sensible minimum for a garden.

The rating covers the string. Keep the plug, any transformer and the battery box dry as well, and clip the cable in place rather than pulling it tight.

Fairy lights through the year

A string bought for the tree works on a bedroom wall in January, which is why fairy lights stay in use after Christmas. Match the length to the job:

  • Wreath or jar: 2 to 3 m, battery, copper wire.
  • Mantelpiece or shelf: 3 to 5 m once the string is draped.
  • Bedroom wall or headboard: 5 to 10 m, plug-in or USB, warm white.
  • Christmas tree: 15 m wraps a 6ft tree, and Christmas tree lights lists the bulb counts.
  • Garden fence or tree: 10 to 20 m, solar or plug-in rated IP44 or higher, as in outdoor Christmas lights.

For curtains, shapes and every other format, see the full Christmas lights range.

Frequently asked questions: Fairy Lights

What is the difference between string lights and fairy lights?

In the UK the two overlap. Fairy lights usually means small LEDs on thin wire or cable, while string lights often means larger bulbs, such as globes, on a heavier cable. Shops use both words for the same products, so go by the bulb size and the cable in the photo.

Are LED fairy lights better?

For most uses, yes. LEDs draw far less power than old filament bulbs and stay cool, so they suit trees, wreaths and bedrooms. Filament bulbs give a slightly warmer, yellower glow, but warm white LEDs come close.

Can I leave fairy lights on all the time?

It is better not to. The usual advice is to switch lights off when you go to bed or leave the house. LEDs run cool and use little power, and a timer or a plug-in timer switch gives you the glow without leaving them on.

Which fairy lights last the longest?

LED bulbs outlast filament bulbs by a wide margin. On a string, the weak points are the battery box, the plug and the join between wire and bulb, especially outdoors. Choose a rating that matches the use, IP44 or higher outside, and read the lowest-rated reviews for sections that stopped working.

What do Americans call fairy lights?

Mostly string lights, and sometimes twinkle lights. Fairy lights is the usual UK name, and it tends to mean the thin-wire kind with small bulbs.

Our advice on this topic