Outdoor Hanukkah lighting has to survive a December night in a public place: wind, rain, snow, and eight nights unattended. A string of household lights won’t do it. Everything below is built for exactly that — aluminum display menorahs from 3 to 15 feet, lit by LED, that go up once and run for the whole holiday.

Choosing a size for your Hanukkah display

Size is decided by viewing distance more than by budget. A menorah read from across a plaza needs height; one inside a lobby does not.

Height Width Weight Typical setting
3 ft 3 ft 13 lbs Store windows, countertops, reception desks
6 ft 6½ ft 41 lbs Smaller lobbies, private homes, courtyards
9 ft 7½ ft 52 lbs Malls, town halls, synagogue forecourts, JCCs
12 ft 8½ ft 60 lbs City squares, parks, large civic displays

Above 12 feet, the public art menorahs run to 15 feet and are built as sculpture rather than standard display pieces.

Standing up to weather and wind

Every indoor/outdoor display menorah is made of aluminum with a silver finish, so it does not rust and handles harsh weather without special treatment.

Wind is the thing to plan for, not rain. Two base options:

  • In-ground base — a permanent insert that stays hidden in the ground year-round. The menorah lifts out after Hanukkah and drops back in next year. This is the right answer anywhere with grass or soil.
  • Indoor base — a flat aluminum base (35″ × 24″ × 2″) with suction cups that grip a hard floor.

The indoor base is not recommended outdoors on its own, because it is vulnerable to wind. If you have no ground to work with — a paved plaza, a rooftop, a parking lot — use the indoor base together with the outdoor base cover, which lets you add sandbags or cinder blocks for ballast.

Power and automatic nightly lighting

The menorah plugs into a standard outlet. An onboard controller advances the display for you: once activated, it adds one more light every 24 hours, so the menorah keeps pace with the holiday without anyone returning to it each evening. Light it on the first night and it runs unattended for eight.

Outside the United States, a transformer converts 110v to 220v.

Bulbs, and lighting with a live flame

Any standard bulb fits, but the 6″ LED chimney bulbs are what we recommend for outdoor use — they hold up in weather and stay bright at a distance.

If your community lights with fire rather than electricity, the candle conversion kits drop into the sockets in place of bulbs and take a real flame, so the blessing is said over an actual fire. They work outdoors except in high wind. Tiki torch kits do the same at larger scale.

Beyond the menorah itself

A public Hanukkah display usually needs more than one lit object to hold a space:

  • LED signs mount to a full-size menorah and carry a custom message, readable day and night.
  • Illuminated dreidel and menorah infinity signs give children something at their eye level.
  • A 3 ft display dreidel works alongside a large menorah in a plaza or mall concourse.
  • Car menorahs extend the display into a parade or motorcade.

Planning the installation

Set the in-ground base well before the first night, while the ground is still workable — it is straightforward with the right tools, and full instructions are included. Assemble the menorah a day or two ahead so there is time to swap a bulb or move to a different outlet. Decide in advance what time of day you want the display to advance, because the 24-hour cycle is fixed at the moment you activate it.

Every menorah ships with a canvas carrying and storage case on wheels, with an individual pocket for each arm, so the same display goes back up cleanly next year.

Where to start

Questions about a specific site — wind exposure, power distance, permits, or crowd flow — are worth asking before you order. Get in touch and we’ll work through it with you.