Marquee Light-Up Letters with Bulbs, Custom Sizes and Finishes

Marquee letters, also called marquee light-up letters or bulb letters, are the big lit letters of theaters, carnivals and event photo walls. Each one is a deep, open steel letter with a row of bulbs across the face, wired as one run. Instead of a glowing surface, you get a line of individual points of light that follows the shape of the letter.

They are made for being seen in person: on a wedding lawn, beside a dance floor, on a restaurant wall, over a bar or in a theater lobby. Event rental companies, venues, restaurants, theaters and couples planning a wedding use them, often as a word, initials or a number for a photo backdrop. For a photo wall, letters about 3 to 5 ft tall are common, big enough to frame the people standing beside them; smaller letters suit a bar, a dessert table or a restaurant wall.

By day the letter itself carries the look, so the finish matters:

• Painted in any color, from classic white or red to your brand color.
• Pre-rusted finish on galvanized steel, for a rustic or industrial setting.
• Brushed stainless steel, for a clean metal look.

At night the bulbs take over and the letters read as warm dots of light, even across a dark garden or a crowded room.

Two builds:

• Indoor: plug-and-play. The letters plug into a regular wall outlet; nothing to wire.
• Outdoor: a weatherproof build for permanent outdoor use. Hard-wired outdoor builds are connected by a licensed electrician.

Marquee letters can hang on a wall or stand on the floor. Wall-mounted letters come with the mounting hardware and a full-size paper template; free-standing letters stand on their own base, so they can move from one event to the next.

Sizes run from 12 in to 72 in tall in the price estimator; our recent quotes include letters 16 in and 48 in tall. The estimator prices each letter by its height, and the drawing gives the exact price. Installation, permits and the electrician for hard-wired builds are not included.

Send the word or letters, the height you want, the finish and where they will be used. We email a free drawing and the exact price before you pay, and nothing is built until you approve it.

Start with where the letters will live. For events and rentals, choose the indoor plug-in build with free-standing bases, so the letters can be set up and moved without tools or wiring. For a permanent spot outside, such as a patio wall or a venue entrance, choose the weatherproof outdoor build.

Then size them to the space; for photo walls, letters about 3 to 5 ft tall are common. Floor-standing letters for a photo wall need to be tall enough to frame the people standing next to them; letters over a bar or on a restaurant wall can be smaller. Mark the height on the wall or floor with tape and look at it from where guests will stand.

Choose the finish for daytime: painted for color, pre-rusted for rustic settings, brushed stainless for a clean modern room. Send the word, height and finish for your drawing.