What Are PAR Lights? LED PAR Cans Explained for Stage and Events

A PAR light is a round, fixed-beam stage fixture that throws a soft-edged pool of light or color. It has no zoom and no moving parts: you point it, set the color, and it fills that area. Almost every PAR sold for stages and events today is an LED fixture that mixes its own colors, so the same fixture can uplight a wedding reception one night and wash a band stage the next, with no gels or lamp changes.

This guide covers where the name comes from, how an LED PAR works, the main types, how to pick one, and how to use them at real events. If you already know what you need and want to compare models, the LED PAR lights collection lists the corded range.

What a PAR light is, and what it is not

Think of a PAR as the basic color-and-coverage light in a rig. Its beam is wide enough to cover a singer or a section of wall, and the edge of that beam is soft rather than sharp. That makes PARs easy to blend: put several side by side and their pools overlap into one even field of color.

What a PAR does not do is just as useful to know when you are planning:

• It does not move. Pan and tilt movement comes from moving heads. A PAR only moves if you re-aim it by hand.
• It does not focus to a hard edge. A spotlight or COB spot with barn doors gives a tighter, more controlled shape. A PAR beam spills a little past its target.
• It does not project patterns. Logos and textures come from gobo projectors or moving heads with gobo wheels.

Because of that, PARs usually do the wash work in a rig. If the term "wash" is new to you, our explainer on what a wash light does covers the idea in more detail; a PAR is the most common type of wash fixture at small and mid-size events.

Where the PAR name comes from

PAR stands for Parabolic Aluminized Reflector. The name comes from the sealed-beam lamp that the original PAR cans were built around: a single bulb with a bowl-shaped mirror reflector and a front lens, all fused into one unit, much like an old car headlight. The metal tube that held the lamp became known as the "PAR can."

The number after PAR is the lamp's diameter in eighths of an inch:

With halogen PARs, the beam shape was fixed by the lamp you bought, labeled with codes such as VNSP (very narrow spot), NSP (narrow spot), MFL (medium flood), and WFL (wide flood). Changing the beam meant changing the lamp. On an LED PAR the beam angle is set by the lens over the LEDs, and the spec sheet lists it in degrees.

LED PARs kept the name and the round can shape, but most do not use a parabolic reflector at all, and the number in a size label like "PAR64-style" now describes the housing, not a lamp. One more note on the name: in grow lights, PAR means photosynthetically active radiation, a measure of light for plants. It has nothing to do with stage PAR cans.

How an LED PAR light works

Inside a typical LED PAR you will find four main parts:

• The LED engine. Either an array of individual LEDs, each with its own small lens, or one large COB (chip-on-board) emitter behind a reflector or single lens.
• The driver. Electronics that power the LEDs and dim each color channel by switching it on and off very fast (PWM). Mixing red, green, and blue at different levels gives you the in-between colors.
• Cooling. A heat sink, and on many models a fan. LEDs run far cooler than a halogen lamp, but they still make heat, and heat is what shortens the life of the LEDs and the driver. Leave space around the fins and fan vents.
• The control board. This reads the menu settings, the remote, a built-in microphone for sound mode, and the DMX signal from a controller.

Because the LEDs dim electronically, an LED PAR plugs straight into a normal outlet and does all of its dimming internally. That is the biggest practical difference from halogen PARs, which needed an external dimmer pack.

Types of LED PAR lights

LED PARs are sorted in three useful ways: by the colors of LED inside, by the LED layout, and by how they are powered and sealed.

By color mix

If people on stage will be photographed or streamed, warm tones matter more than most buyers expect. The reasons are covered in why amber LEDs help skin tones.

By LED layout

Multi-LED PARs use many small emitters. When every emitter is a 4-in-1 or 6-in-1 package, each one contains all the colors, so the mix is even and you do not see colored fringes at the edge of the beam. Older designs with separate red, green, and blue LEDs can show multicolored shadows at close range. COB PARs use a single large emitter, which gives one clean shadow and a smoother field, and they suit front light and video work.

By power and housing

• Corded PARs run from wall (AC) power and usually have power and DMX in and out sockets so you can link several on one run. They suit fixed rigs and longer events.
• Battery PARs have a built-in rechargeable battery, and many add wireless DMX or app control. No cables across the floor makes them the usual choice for wedding and venue uplighting.
• IP65 waterproof PARs have sealed housings and connectors for outdoor use: dust-tight and protected against low-pressure water jets, though not designed to be submerged.

Corded, battery, and IP65: UKING's three PAR lines

UKING groups its PARs the same way, so the table below doubles as a map of where to look. Wattage is taken from each product name; check the product page for beam angle, channel modes, and battery details.

Read the wattage in a product name as a power class, not a brightness score. Two fixtures with the same watt figure can differ a lot in output depending on LED quality and lens angle, so compare the beam angle and any lux figures on the spec sheet when you can.

How to choose a PAR light

Work through these points in order. The first two decide whether the light will look right; the rest decide whether it will be easy to live with.

1. Beam angle versus throw distance. Beam width is roughly 2 × distance × tan(angle ÷ 2). At 20 ft (6 m), a 25° lens covers about 8.9 ft (2.7 m) and a 40° lens about 14.6 ft (4.4 m). Narrow lenses suit tall walls, columns, and backlight from a distance; wide lenses suit short throws and wall uplighting.
2. Color set. RGBW is a sensible minimum for events. Add amber if you light faces, food, or wedding decor, and consider UV only if you plan glow effects.
3. Control modes. Most PARs offer auto, sound-active, master/slave, IR remote, and DMX. For DMX, look for more than one channel mode, such as a short mode for simple controllers and a longer one with dimmer and strobe channels. You will also need to set DMX addresses on each fixture.
4. Power source. Battery PARs trade some output for setup speed. If a battery model is on your list, read up on battery PAR runtime and charging before you count on it for a full event.
5. Fan noise. In a church, theater, or during wedding speeches, a loud fan is distracting. Check whether the fixture is fan-cooled and place loud units away from quiet areas.
6. Camera use. If you livestream or film, test the PAR on camera at low dimmer levels. Some LED fixtures flicker on phones and cameras when dimmed.
7. Outdoor exposure. If the light will see rain or sprinklers, buy an IP-rated fixture rather than covering an indoor one. Our guide to what an IP65 rating covers explains the limits.

Power is rarely a problem with LED PARs, but run the numbers once. Current equals watts divided by volts. Eight fixtures listed at 145 W each total 1,160 W, which is about 9.7 A on a 120 V circuit in the US and about 5.0 A on 230 V in the UK, EU, or Australia. A 15 A US circuit should carry no more than 12 A of continuous load (80% of the rating), so that rig fits on one circuit. Use the power figure from the manual if it gives one, check how many fixtures the manufacturer allows on one power link, and follow local electrical rules.

How to use PAR lights at events

Uplighting walls and rooms

Set PARs on the floor a few inches from a wall and aim them up. Spacing of roughly 6–10 ft (2–3 m) between fixtures gives overlapping pools on most walls; wider lenses can go further apart. Battery PARs make this a quick job in a finished room. For color plans and fixture counts, see our guide to planning event uplighting. If you need one continuous band of color across a long wall, a linear fixture can be a better fit than a row of PARs; this guide on how LED wall washers work covers when to switch.

Stage wash and front light

For a small band or church stage, a common starting point is two PARs out front for faces, one from each side at roughly 45 degrees, plus four to six behind or above the performers for color. Keep the front PARs in warm white or a light amber tint and save saturated colors for the back. PARs are not the only option for an even stage wash; this comparison of PARs versus LED wash panels explains where panels do better.

Backlight and color for DJs and bands

PARs placed behind a DJ booth or band, aimed up or at the backs of performers, separate people from a dark background and give the room its main color. A few fixtures can cover a whole night of different looks, as these five party looks with the same PARs show.

Running PARs without a lighting desk

You do not need a controller to get started. Link the fixtures with DMX cable, set one as master and the rest as slaves, and they will follow the master's built-in programs or sound mode. Our walkthrough of master/slave mode without a controller covers the menu settings. When you want specific colors at specific moments, add a DMX controller.

Swapping halogen PAR cans for LED

If you have inherited a rig of halogen PAR56 or PAR64 cans, the move to LED is mostly about power and color. Eight 1,000 W PAR64s draw about 8,000 W, roughly 66.7 A at 120 V or 34.8 A at 230 V, which needs several circuits and a dimmer pack. Eight LED PARs in the 145 W class come to about 1,160 W, as calculated above. You also lose the gel changes, since the LEDs mix their own colors.

A few things to know before you swap:

• Do not run LED PARs from a dimmer pack channel. Plug them into straight power, or set that dimmer channel to non-dim or relay mode if the pack has one, and dim the LEDs over DMX.
• Compare output on the spec sheet, not by watts. An LED PAR's watt figure tells you little about how it compares with a halogen lamp. Test one LED fixture next to an old can at your real throw distance before replacing a whole rig.
• Replace the fixture rather than the lamp. LED retrofit lamps exist for some smaller PAR sizes, but for stage PAR56 and PAR64 cans, replacing the whole fixture is the usual route, since you get color mixing and DMX control.

To work out whether a full changeover pays for itself, see the halogen-to-LED cost calculation, which works through a 12-can example.

FAQ

What is the difference between a PAR light and a wash light?

"Wash light" describes a job: covering an area with soft, even light. A PAR is one type of fixture that does that job. Wash panels, wall washers, and moving head washes do the same job with different shapes and features.

Do LED PAR lights get hot?

Much less than halogen PARs, but yes. The housing and heat sink get warm, and on fan-cooled models the fan needs clear airflow. Do not wrap them in fabric or pack them tightly against a wall, and let them cool before you case them.

How many PAR lights do I need for a small stage?

For a stage roughly 16–24 ft (5–7 m) wide, four to six PARs usually give a usable color wash, plus two warm-white PARs in front if faces need to be seen clearly. Add more only once you can see where the gaps are.

Can I use indoor PAR lights outside?

Only in dry weather, kept off wet ground and with power connections protected. If rain, dew, or sprinklers are possible, use IP65 waterproof PARs. IP65 handles rain and low-pressure spray, but the fixtures should not sit in standing water.

Are battery PAR lights as bright as corded ones?

Not usually, model for model. Battery PARs are built for runtime and quick placement, so their output is often lower. For uplighting walls in a reception room they are normally enough; for lighting a stage from a distance, corded PARs are the safer choice.