Philips Hue’s new Festavia lights are here to modernize your Christmas tree
Smart holiday lighting options have been around a while, and even regular ol' string lights can be remotely controlled or automated with just about any smart plug. But this holiday season, smart home nerds are going to have a new high-end option. Philips Hue has announced a new set of smart string lights called Festavia, and while it isn’texclusivelyfor use on Christmas trees, it’s clear that was the idea behind its inception.
The Festavia string lights come in a set of 250 little color-changing LED bulbs on a 20-meter (66-foot) cable. Recommendations on how many lights a Christmas tree should haveare surprisingly varied, ranging from between 100 lights every foot-and-a-half to300lights per foot of tree height. At any rate, if you’re using Festavia lights on a tree, you’ll probably need multiple sets, but it does seem strands can be chained together like regular string lights.
The Festavia lights can be configured to any color or colors you want; the Hue app treats each strand like a gradient light strip, letting you choose multiple colors manually or pick from pre-made multicolored lighting scenes. A new Scattered light style also lets you randomize up to five colors throughout the strip, and a Sparkle effect makes the lights twinkle. Festavia strands are compatible with Hue’s existing color light tricks, too, like the Candle and Fireplace effects that mimic the glow of a fire. And like other color Hue lights, they can sync with Spotify to react to your music — an absolutely killer feature for holiday parties.
At $160 per 250-light strand, the Festavia string lights are in line with Hue’s typical high-end pricing. Still, that doesn’t make them much more expensive than similar options likeTwinkly’s 250-LED set that retails for $120. Hue also makes some of thebest smart lightsaround, and if you’re already set up in the ecosystem, the premium will likely be worth it for you. The Festavia lights will be available exclusively throughPhilips Hue’s websiteon November 15.
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