Home Theater Lighting Ideas, Tips & Tricks to Upgrade Your Watch Party

There’s nothing like catching a flick on the big screen. But with some innovative home theater lighting ideas and a large bowl of popcorn, you can get pretty close. (Plus, you can take bathroom breaks as needed!)

Here’s how to turn your living room into a private viewing room and amp up the experience for all attendees:

Full Color Smart Bulbs

Set the mood with Cync Full Color Smart Bulbs. You can choose from millions of shades in the CYNC App, powered by Savant, so no matter which genre you’re enjoying, you can tune your bulbs to match. Whether you go with neon green for a sci-fi film or rosy pink for a rom-com, you’ll love how they add an immersive element to your night.

Full Color Light Strips

Go above and beyond with these RGB LED strips. Our Cync Full Color Light Strips can help accent your TV and the area around your ceiling for an even more cinematic, scene-stealing look, or you can go all in and light an “aisle” between your seats.

Wire-Free Smart Remote

If you need a quick break from the action, brighten lights with our game-changing Cync Wire-Free Smart Remotes. Thanks to its magnetic backing, you can attach this device to some metal surfaces—and never lose it to the black hole between couch cushions.

Once you have the atmosphere set up, we have some additional thoughts that go beyond lighting for a simply wonderful cinematic experience:

Dress the part

You know how big blockbusters will have a midnight showing where the most devoted fans arrive in costume? We say: implement that same idea at home! Throw a party where you watch every installment of a major franchise and ask guests to come dressed as their favorite character. You can even give prizes for the most creative and the most accurate recreations.

Host a sing-along

One major downside to the average cineplex: you can’t stand up and dance in the aisles. So, this next option is a great way to get kids (and kids at heart) excited.

Just stream their favorite movie musical and encourage all the enthusiastic singing. You can turn on closed captioning for budding readers who don’t know the lyrics, and of course, awesome dance moves are extremely welcome. You can even turn on the sequel—if their attention spans are up for it.

This could make for a great children’s birthday party that’s definitely more budget-friendly than buying tons of tickets, or you can be the hero of your neighborhood and invite kids over for some engaging, interactive fun on a rainy day.

No-sneak snacks

If you resent that outside food isn’t welcome at your local theater, this one’s for you. Enjoy all your favorite snacks from the comfort of your couch—and without concession stand pricing.

It’s especially fun to center a menu around your movie. For a drama that charts a romance in Italy, grab takeout from your favorite bistro. For an outer space epic, you can explore astronaut ice cream. For a biopic of a sports star, you can grab your favorite go-tos from the ballpark. If you’re watching a period piece, it could also be fun to do some research and eat foods that were at peak popularity during the time when the film is set.

The possibilities are endless, but coordinating your spread can add an immersive (and tasty!) element to your movie night.

We hope you’ll follow these quick and easy tips for a picture-perfect watch party. Don’t forget to snap your home theater lighting setup and send it to us on social media (@GELighting)! In the meantime, we’ll let you get back to your at-home film fest.