With Diwali around the corner, decorative lights have become 25% costlier this year, with city traders attributing the price rise to a surge in raw material costs, particularly copper wire and plastic.
In Naka Hindola market, traders said basic fairy lights, which cost ₹36 last year, are now selling for ₹44. Similarly, high-glow copper-wire fairy lights have become costlier, rising from ₹150 to ₹175. Overall, prices of both Chinese and Indian decorative lights have increased by 20% to 25%. Despite the hike, Chinese lights remain a popular choice among shoppers as their lower copper content makes them relatively cheaper.
Traders Ishaan and Nilesh Tata said fluctuations in the dollar’s exchange rate had made Chinese lights costlier by pushing up import costs. Shipping expenses have also risen as insurance cover for containers transported through sea routes has been affected by war-like situations, adding to freight costs. In the case of Indian-made fairy lights, the sharp rise in copper wire and plastic prices has driven up production costs, they said.
Tata said preparations for Diwali sales traditionally began two months in advance. However, last year, traders started stocking up only a month before the festival, while this year, business has touched just 50% of the usual levels so far.
“Retail traders who earlier purchased goods worth ₹1 lakh are now placing orders worth only ₹25,000 to ₹30,000. Retail customers, meanwhile, are waiting until the last few days to make their purchases. Demand is currently split equally between Indian and Chinese lights,” he said.
Despite the slowdown in sales, the market is witnessing a high-tech transformation this Diwali. Homes in Lucknow are set to light up with smart, mobile-controlled decorative lights that can be connected to smartphone apps by scanning a QR code. These lights come with multiple features, allowing users to change colours and patterns at the touch of a button, project rangoli designs on walls and even play firecracker sounds.
“The most talked-about product this year is a 10-foot, app-controlled waterfall curtain light featuring 20 hanging strands, designed for main gates, balconies and terraces. Users can scan a QR code and type names or messages, such as ‘Happy Diwali’, which then scroll across the LEDs. The light also offers effects resembling flowing water and can project fireworks patterns on walls and ceilings. It is waterproof and priced at ₹3,000,” Ishaan said.
Other products gaining popularity include a 5-metre flexible neon pipe light, priced at ₹500, which can be fixed with double-sided tape around temples, window frames, TV units and false ceilings. Its app-controlled colours give spaces a sleek, premium look.
A firework-effect light, priced at ₹400, can be mounted on glass doors or walls to create an effect resembling fireworks bursting from the centre, with speed and colours controlled through an app. Special sound-effect lights for main entrances, priced at ₹1,450, come with a remote featuring two buttons—one plays a ‘Happy Diwali’ melody accompanied by lights, while the other produces firecracker sounds.
Another attraction is a functional laser light, priced at ₹500, which can be placed on the ground in lawns or courtyards to project rangoli designs and rotating patterns across walls. It comes with 12 remote-controlled functions.
For those looking for budget-friendly options, DJ focus lights for temples start at ₹200. Other popular choices include a Thailand-special table lamp, designed like a flower bouquet with a dimmable globe light, which doubles as a showpiece during the day and a lamp at night, priced at ₹395. USB-powered dim night lamps with butterfly- and heart-shaped filaments, which can also be used as zero-watt lamps, are available for ₹395.
Traditional handmade bamboo kandils, fitted with half a metre of wire and a 20-watt LED, are priced at ₹200 and offer an ethnic touch. A set of six retro bulb jhalars, featuring decorative jhalars inside the bulbs, costs ₹300, while a modak jhalar with 10 colourful modaks is available for ₹120.
For temple decorations, rotating crystal chakras, designed to be placed behind idols, are priced at ₹800 and ₹1,600. Made-in-India crystal jhalars are now available in lengths of up to 25 metres, with royal blue and off-white shades in high demand. Neon and acrylic LED boards carrying ‘Shubh Deepawali’ and Ganpati motifs are priced at ₹500, while moving diyas are available in a wide price range of ₹100 to ₹1,200.
