Movie night ideas at home

March 9, 2022

Staying in probably means home-cooked dinners, board game  marathons, and movie nights. Whether you’re watching a movie by yourself, with friends, or with family, a movie night is the perfect way to wind down from a busy day, especially for the little ones. Use these movie night ideas at home, and you can transform your space — inside or out — into your private movie theater.

When spending time at home, movie nights are a staple . Let each person in the family choose the movie — and then let them choose the lighting too!

Wondering how to light behind the TV? Play light bars should do the trick! Specially designed for the TV area, they include stands to place them horizontally or vertically, casting light back towards the wall.   By setting the light bars to any of their millions of colors  , you can create a movie theater atmosphere right in your own home.  

Bright idea: Create a custom scene in the Hue app for movie night — or several based on the movie genre, such as pink for romance and purple for action — and use it as a preset on your Hue dimmer switch or Tap switch. Then, setting the right mood for movie night only requires the touch of a button!

Adjusting your lights to complement your movie is impressive — but what if you could make them reflect the content on the screen? With the Hue sync box, you can get surround lighting right in your living room. The Hue sync box pairs with your color-capable Philips Hue lights, such as the Play light bars, to make them change colors, dim, brighten, flash, and dance along with the actors to create a truly cinematic experience.

Bright idea: Have a pre-movie dance party with Philips Hue + Spotify! Link your Philips Hue and Spotify accounts, choose a song you love, and watch as your lights respond to the music.

Looking for even more ideas on how to make a movie night fun?  Take it outside! Put your laptop or tablet on a sturdy surface, grab some chairs and comfy pillows, and settle in. If you don’t have an outdoor seating area, spread out   a blanket in the grass. Don’t forget the snacks!

For a movie night to remember, you can use outdoor lights to help amplify the experience, making it truly feel like an outdoor theater.

The Lily family, which includes the Lily spotlight and the Lily XL spotlight, offers colorful light that can be directed at any outdoor feature. Place the spots at the base of a tree or mount several in a row to a fence or post, creating interesting shadows and architectural interest with light.

Bright idea: Position your screen so that your Lily spotlights are in the background. Set them to dim tones for simple backdrop lighting, or use colorful lights to complement the movie.

The unique design of the Appear wall light casts warm-to-cool white or color light both upward and downward in sharp, angled triangles. Install these lights on a wall or next to a door to add a bit of drama to patios and entryways.  

Bright idea: Set your Appear wall light to colors that match your movie: deep red for a horror flick or fun yellows for a comedy.

With the Calla bollard,  you get pathway lights that do more than just guide the way — they let you set the mood with millions of colors. Set your Calla lights to reflect the mood you’re in, the theme of the evening, or your movie.

Bright idea: If you set your movie viewing area a bit further away — perhaps on a picnic blanket in the far corner of the yard — you can light the path back to the house much like a movie theater’s aisle. Dim lights will guide you as you refill your popcorn and soda.