How to plan game-day and holiday color schedules for permanent eave lights in Tampa Bay, from a season calendar to timers, brightness and neighbor-friendly habits. You may also hear it called permanent holiday lighting.
Request a free permanent lighting estimate
Tell us your address and what you need. A licensed electrician will call or text you back.
Want lights you can change for every game and holiday? Call (727) 476-7079 or request a free estimate online.
Christmas is the big night, but permanent lighting also covers the other three hundred-plus nights: the Sunday the home team plays, a birthday, a graduation, a school spirit week. Owners who get the most from a system tend to set it up like a calendar instead of changing colors on the fly. Here is how to plan that calendar for a Tampa Bay home, with the lights where they belong: under the eaves and soffit, never on the roof.
Start with a default scene
Pick one everyday look first, because the lights will show it far more often than anything else. Most homeowners choose warm white at modest brightness from dusk to around 11 p.m. Everything else on the calendar is an exception that replaces the default for a night or a weekend, then hands back to it.
Build a season calendar
- Football season (fall): home-team colors on game days, starting a few hours before kickoff and ending at the default shut-off time.
- Hockey and baseball: longer seasons with many games, so most people only switch for weekends, rivalry games and the playoffs.
- College and school spirit: one set of colors per school in the house, used for homecoming week or a big game.
- Holidays: Fourth of July, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Eve, plus any days that matter to your family.
- Personal dates: birthdays, anniversaries, a welcome-home night or a new baby.
Write the list once each year and enter the dates in the app before the season starts. That way the house changes on its own, even when you are traveling.
Choosing colors that read from the street
Team colors don’t always translate to LEDs. Dark shades like navy, pewter or maroon look dim or muddy from the curb, so pair them with white or use a lighter tint. Two colors usually read better than three. Short, alternating patterns look sharp up close, while longer blocks of each color read better from across the street. Test new scenes at night from the sidewalk before game day.
Timing, brightness and neighbors
- Use a sunset start rather than a fixed clock time, so the lights come on at the right moment all year.
- Set a shut-off time. Late-night color and fast motion are what neighbors and HOA boards tend to notice.
- Save animation for short windows, like the hour before kickoff or after a win, and keep everyday scenes steady.
- Turn brightness down on bedroom-facing sides of the house and for homes close to the street.
Beachfront and HOA reminders
Beachfront homes must follow sea turtle lighting rules from May 1 to October 31 (FWC), which overlaps baseball season and the start of football. Set beach-facing zones to stay dark during that window. If your association reviewed your lighting plan, keep your schedule within any hours or brightness limits it set; our HOA approval guide covers how that review usually works.
Zones make scheduling easier
A system wired in two or more zones lets the front show team colors while the back stays warm white, or lets you keep a beach-facing side dark. Zoning is decided at install, so tell us how you plan to use the lights before the design is finished.
How we set you up
Keywest Lights & Electric is an Authorized JellyFish Dealer. A licensed electrician checks your eaves, soffit and power, then installs the track under the eaves and along the sides of the house, never on the roof. At handoff we load your default scene and walk you through the app so you can build your own game-day and holiday calendar. The controller goes in the garage and usually plugs into an existing outlet; if one is needed, we add it under a permit. We set up systems across Pinellas County, Tampa and St. Petersburg.
Related: JellyFish lighting · year-round color ideas · permanent vs. seasonal lights · how they look by day and night
Keywest Lights & Electric is a licensed electrical contractor (EC13014717), woman-owned and based at 6248 Seminole Blvd, Seminole, FL 33772. Our workmanship warranty is 2 years, or 5 years for Member Care Plan members. JellyFish parts carry a 5-year warranty.
Front and back, controlled separately
If you like, we can set up two zones instead of one long run. Lights across the front turn the corners and continue about 4 feet along each side, or up and down a side gable under its overhang, so the house reads as finished. The back of the home is wired as its own zone you can leave off on ordinary nights.
Frequently asked questions
Can permanent lights change colors automatically for game days? Yes. You set the scenes and dates in the app ahead of time, and the lights switch on their own, even when you are away.
Why do my team colors look dim? Dark shades like navy or pewter are hard for LEDs to show from a distance. Pair them with white or a lighter tint.
Do game-day colors bother neighbors? Usually not if you use steady scenes and a reasonable shut-off time. Long, fast animations late at night draw the most complaints.
Are the lights on the roof? No. They are installed under the eaves and soffit and along the sides of the house.