Costco's Vintage String Lights Are A Fun Way To Light Up Your Fourth Of July Festivities

America is celebrating its 250th birthday, and you're planning a backyard barbecue bash to remember. You've got your smart charcoal grill ready to fire up, your patio furniture picked out, and your party menu planned. Now, all that's left to do is decorate, preferably with lots of red, white, and blue. Along with your typical centerpieces, American flags, and table linens, you'll need a way to light up your yard, especially if your July Fourth festivities will run into the evening hours. Vintage cafe-style string lights provide illumination and charm, and the Enbrighten Vibe Wi-Fi Color Changing Vintage String Lights, available at Costco, have an added party trick — you're able to program them based on your party's theme or your mood.

The light strings connect to an app with either Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, allowing you to program the bulb colors to white, red, and blue. Kicking it up a notch, you could even program strobe or twinkle effects to imitate sparklers or fireworks. The lights are available in either 24-foot lengths (retailing at $90) or 48-foot lengths (running $150), and you can connect multiple sets to create single runs up to 750 feet that will fill out your Independence Day setup.

As you plan the best places to hang your outdoor string lights, Enbrighten makes it a little easier with built-in loops that can work with various hangers, including hooks, rings, zip ties, or nails. If you have a covered patio, stretch the lights across it, suspending them from opposite walls. Another option is to connect one end of the lights to your home's exterior and the opposite end to the branches of a large tree. If connecting the lights to your home or a tree isn't an option, you can DIY string light poles with wooden dowels. The benefit of making your own light poles is that you could choose how to configure the lights based on your party setup. You might drape the lights closer to the grill or near a swimming pool, for instance. Keep in mind that you may need a guide wire to support lengths of more than 10 feet.

Give the lights a festive Independence Day touch by programming the bulbs to resemble the colors and pattern of the American flag. Each 24-foot length contains 12 light bulbs. Set the first six bulbs to be blue, white, blue, white, blue, and white, to imitate the stars section of the flag. Then, set the next six bulbs to be all red, resembling the stripes section. For a second string of lights, program the first six bulbs to be white, blue, white, blue, white, and blue, and the next six to be all white. You can then continue with as many strings as you've purchased to finish your July Fourth-themed light display.