Here at Glowtopia, we’re all about that festival glow stick fun, and we know you are as well. To make sure that you feel a constant flow of glow in the dark inspiration wafting through your pleasure centre, we’re here to flood you with the most epic inspiration, so that your festival experience this year, can be bigger, better, and glowier! Bet you never knew that was a word….

So now you’re totally stoked about your upcoming bigger, better and glowier festival experience this year, we’d better tell you how to make that happen!

Here are Glowtopia’s favourite festival accessories…

Glow stick bracelets

If there’s one thing that is a priority at festivals, it’s holding one, two or five drinks (lemonade of course) at a time, and keeping them safe until you drink them. Your hands are so important, for this exact reason. So that means that there isn’t necessarily a hand free for a fun glow in the dark accessory. The solution? Glow stick bracelets! They’ll hang around your wrist looking super cool so you can do what you want with your hands! Awesome right?

Glow candles

Real life candles just don’t have it in them to survive the glorious British summer weather (all of the rain) that usually blesses festivals. That makes finding your way around a dark campsite at night, or fumbling around for those all important wet wipes in your tent, really tricky. Sure there’s torches, but they cost a ton of money and they’re not nearly as fun as glow stick candles!

Glow necklaces

If there’s one thing you need at festivals, it’s your head. Right? To talk, and laugh and sing and all that jazz. So, why not give that whole neck/ face area a bit of bling and wear loads of glow stick necklaces? Your head deserves it really.

Glow in the dark glasses

Planning a ‘school’ themed night out at the festival? You can’t be a geek without glasses! And only the best geeks wear glow in the dark glasses! Alternatively, wear them to help you see the acts better. We can’t in any way guarantee this will work but, you’ll look great while you’re trying!

Glow straws

When the pre-party or after party begins back at the tent, your priority is being able to see your drinks, above anything else. What better way to do that than with glow straws!

Glow in the dark ball

Glow in the dark bowling, football, catch and of course down on one knee – perfect festival games for you and your friends to enjoy to make the most of the fun nighttime atmosphere.

LED Sound Reactive Glases

If there’s one place that LED sound reactive glasses are going to work perfectly, it is at a festival. They flash along to any music beat, so whether you’re bopping to Beyonce or twerking to Tinie Tempah, your glasses are guaranteed to be dancing right there with you.

LED Flashing Tambourine

Clearly, festivals are all about getting back to your ancestral roots, being at one with the earth, knitting your own happiness etc etc. So, get involved with the rhythm of life with an LED flashing tambourine, just like your ancestors did (honestly they did).

LED Mini Fan

We don’t want to get your hopes up and suggest it might be a dry hot summer full of festivals where, short shorts are justified and you might even… get too hot (optimism guys!) but it might happen. If it does, and you’re standing there sweating between other festival goers waiting for your favourite act to come on, then how are you going to find your mini fan to cool you down? There’s no way you could find it with your hands, but if its LED…. you can see it! This is total adulting. Hi five!

UV Paints

If you’re going to a festival that has a ton of black lights, then you kind of have to wear UV paints. It’s, kind of festival law. So, you’ll want to stock up on some good quality UV paints to get yourself ready to light up the tent under those black lights.

We have:

UV face and body paint

UV hair streaks

UV fabric paint

UV lipstick

UV glitter body gel

UV mascara

UV nail paint

UV hair chalk

And more…. So your look can be completely UV ready if you want it to be. Maybe you’ll go tribal, perhaps animal is more your thing, or maybe even UV zombie! Whatever UV look you choose, we’ve absolutely got you covered with our UV paints and festival accessories.

Glow Paints

Glow paints glow without UV lights and react under UV lights as well, so there’s no black light needed for you to stand out with our glow paints. We have glow paint, glow nail polish and glow hair gel, so you can light up the exciting dark festival nights in whatever way you want to! It will easily wet wipe off the next day as well, if you want it to that is!

Festival Glow Pack

If you want all your glow in the dark fun ready and set up for you, and you want it at a crazy low price for four people, then you need to take advantage of our festival glow pack. You get:

10 X 12 inch mega glow batons

4 X glow caps

4 X glow glasses

50 X glow bracelets

2 X glow paint sticks

2 X glow hair gel

If that isn’t enough to get you and your friends completely set up for a festival, then nothing ever will be. This is the ultimate pack for a bigger, better, glowier festival experience guys, don’t miss out!

Hopefully you are feeling totally inspired by our incredible list of some of our favourite festival accessories. From UV glasses, to brilliant glow bracelets, there’s loads of choice to help make your festival bigger, better and glowier! You just have to glow for it now!

Glowsticking is a form of dance where the performer uses glow sticks, or LED sticks to enhance their performance. Think of fire eating, ribbon dancing or poi but with glow sticks.

There are two different types of glowsticking, stringed or non-stringed.

Stringed Glowsticking

Stringed glowsticking is where the performer dances with a glow stick or glow sticks attached to strings, allowing a wider range of movement and expression. The wide range of movements, styles and concepts have a lot in common with other arts that involve stringing, such as yo-yoing, martial arts and rope darts which are all performed with an instrument at the end of a string. Some people use handles to greater increase the range of movement available.

One of the trickiest things to learn if you get into stringed glowsticking is how to tie your strings. This video tutorial goes into more depth about how to get it right.

Freehand Glowsticking

Freehand glowsticking can often be confused with things like juggling. But if someone chose to juggle with glow sticks you may be tempted to call it glowsticking – but that wouldn’t be correct. Only when glow sticks relate to dancing, is the act considered to be glow sticking. Freehand glowsticking doesn’t involve strings and there are lots of movements and concepts involved in the art. Terms you might come across in relation to freehand glowsticking are:

• Tracing (where the person runs the glow sticks along their body)
• Taps
• Tossing
• Stalls
• Threading
• Figure-Eight

Check out these incredible examples of glowsticking:

The History of Glowsticking

Glowsticking is said to have started out in the 80’s in New York and in the UK. In the 90’s it became more widespread and popular in the rave scene, although glow sticks were also used for glow wars many years before. Since then, it has become most common at festivals and in the electronic dance scene.

Some claim that glowsticking is the ancient cultural art of poi but with added glow sticks, suggest that glowsticking actually has roots going hundreds of years back into New Zealand history.

The truth is that glow sticking did originate from the poi art form, because those practising poi performed at raves using glow sticks and many poi moves are used. But, glow sticking purists will say there are specific movements that only come from the art form. Whilst a performer might integrate some poi techniques, glowsticking is an art form stands in its own right, with its own set of moves and rules.

The art of glow sticking continues to grow and be enjoyed by many people in many different settings and cultures. If you’re interested in learning the art yourself, you can find a lot of tips at www.glowsticking.com. Or simply checkout the many glowsticking videos available on Youtube, which are super fun to watch, even if you don’t fancy having a go yourself.

Buy glowsticks for glowsticking here

Yoga is fabulous for you, which is why the practice gets recreated in so many different ways. You can do hot yoga, aerial yoga, goat yoga (yes really!) and of course, glow stick yoga. Operating just like normal yoga, but with a touch of glow in the dark fun, this practise will have you positively desperate to do your vinyasa in combination with the latest yoga trend.

First Things First, Why Is Yoga Good For You?

Yoga comes in many forms, and there are many different yoga practises, all of which are great for your body in different ways. In the past, a person would dedicate themselves to becoming a yogi, learning the lifestyle and culture of a yogi and committing to the philosophy. As a general rule, each yoga pose has a different name and will include things like twists, backbends, postures and movements. Every posture and movement is said to have a benefit, and the practise is always related to breathing techniques and meditation.

There are many benefits to yoga. Here are just some of them:

Calms The Mind & Boosts The Mood

Yoga is deeply related to meditation and breathing, and is known to lower your stress levels and boost your mood. During a yoga session you should be able to dull a busy mind. Deep stretch yoga leaves you feeling like you have had a deep tissue massage, of both the body and the soul.

Improves Confidence

Meditation improves the connection you have with your mind and body, boosting your mood and your confidence. The idea relates to a deeper connection with yourself and others which in turn gives you a higher appreciation of yourself and others.

Low Risk For Injuries

Yoga is all about building strength and lengthening the muscles, it isn’t designed to be high impact so performing yoga isn’t high risk for most people. It also builds strength so it builds your ability to avoid injury in everyday life.

Improves Muscle Tone & Strength

Yoga is designed to strengthen and lengthen all the muscles in your body. Throughout each pose and vinyasa you are encouraged to always keep every single part of your body engaged in your practise.

The Benefits Of Glow Stick Yoga

Now you know why yoga is so good for you, you can get excited about glow in the dark yoga! Aptly named ‘Glowga’, the practice involves a yoga class being taken under neon and black lights with participants and teachers wearing UV body paint, and glow stick bracelets and accessories, not to mention awesome glow in the dark leggings.

Take a look at #glowga on IG and you will instantly see why it is such a hit (and probably find yourself searching for the nearest class where you are). Some classes even put on music to enhance the atmosphere.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BQYQW3oD_1f/?tagged=glowga

The benefits of doing yoga this way (apart from the fact it looks super cool) are far reaching. You get all the benefits of yoga plus, there’s the extra sensory stimulation of practising in the dark, so your awareness of your surroundings change. All of your senses are heightened and the glow from the bracelets and glow in the dark paint adds an extra surreal and almost dream like element to the practice, as well as a connection with the meditative theme of the flow.

Add Glow To Your Flow

Why not give glow stick yoga a go? At the very least you’ll get to experience a brand new way of enjoying yoga, and at the most, you’ll have a revitalised love for the practise. Namaste! 

Festival body paint is always fun to use, and it looks great as well. These days you can’t go to a festival without seeing all kinds of creative looks using glow in the dark body paint. People covered in pretty pink UV flowers, animal prints, multicoloured tribal looks and everything weird and wonderful in between.

If you’ve always been curious about blinging up your skin with UV festival paint, then this short guide on how to wear it will have you well prepared to ‘glow wild’ with glow in the dark body paint at your next festival.

What Is UV Body Paint?

UV body paint is paint containing skin-friendly ingredients, so it is safe for use on the skin, although you should always eyes and broken skin. The body paint is also made to be sweat-resistant and to remain durable whilst you dance the night away.

Although it is durable, you should expect to be able to wash the festival body paint off easily when you want to take it off your skin. Warm water, or a moist wet wipe should remove it effectively.

UV body paint will often come in a wide range of colours, and of course it is designed to glow in the dark, or glow under UV lighting. The most common UV paint colours are yellow, pink, green, blue and orange.

Preparing For Application

It’s a good idea to create an area for application where things like soft furnishings are protected. Most UV body paint does wash out of clothing but, it might be trickier to get out of things you can’t wash, like the sofa. Ideally, you’ll be in a lovely field alongside your tent and friends, sun shining, epic lineup beckoning… (can we come?!).

Planning A Look

You could of course, get a mirror and get creative with your UV body paint application. Or, you could even paint each other if you’re with friends. If they paint something on you you don’t want, you can easily wet wipe their ‘art’ off and reapply. You might also want to do a bit of research and plan a ‘look’ for the group. Ideas for glow in the dark body paint could be:

• Animals
• Tribal
• Flower power
• Mexican Day Of The Dead
• Stars
• UV Henna
• Hawaian
• Jungle

You might be tempted to match your UV body paint with an outfit, which is a great idea, just remember that in the dark the only parts of your ‘look’ that will be visible will be the glow in the dark bits. So if you want your rabbit ears to go with your UV body paint, you need to make sure those ears are glow in the dark as well. With UV body paint, you can go really wild, as subtle just doesn’t work with this kind of body art, you really do need to just ‘glow for it’!.

Now It’s Time To Have Fun!

Now you’ve prepped your application area, and planned your look, you can enjoy applying your UV body paint!

From night time charity runs, to 90’s raves, and everything in between, there’s a place for glow sticks in everybody’s life and at every event no matter what. To prove it, we’ve created the most essential, substantial, glowtastic article you will ever see to tell you every single glow stick idea there is.

Got one we haven’t listed? We’ve been waiting for you! Get in touch and let us know and we will add it to the list, lets make this a team effort!

So, drum roll please….

Sit back and enjoy the most essential list of glow stick ideas you will ever find:

Accessories & Costumes

Just about any outfit can be improved with a bit of glow. Check out these ideas for using glow sticks to make yourself stand out from the crowd…

1. Glow stick jewellery

Bring a bit of glow to your bling with glow stick bracelets, necklaces, earrings, anklets, head bands… In fact you can stick a glow stick on just about any appendage on your body…

2. Glow in the dark glasses

Get serious about your glow and snap on a pair of glow stick glasses

3. Glow stick cap

Top off the whole look with a glow in the dark cap

4. Glow stick flip flops

And so your feet don’t feel left out, use zip locks to attach some glow sticks to a pair of flip flops. Check out this great tutorial from dollar store crafts

5. Glow in the dark stick man costume

This simple costume idea is so effective. Dress in black and attach glow sticks to your clothes in the shape of a stick man.

Or get really clever and see what other great effects you can create

Parties & Decorations

Glow sticks were made for parties. Well, actually, they were first invented and used by the military, but glow sticks found their true calling when it came to making a good party.

6. Halloween Jack O’Lantern

Safer than candles, but just as effective. Pop a glow stick inside your Halloween Jack O’Lantern for a spooky glow.

7. Glowing jar of spiders

Creepy but effective. All you need is an empty jar, some cotton buds, plastic spiders and a few glow sticks.

https://twitter.com/CrashMacDuff/status/522223129360601088

8. Spooky eyes

Make your own by cutting eye shapes into an empty toilet roll and popping a glow stick inside, or go wild and get some ready made.

9. Party chain

Link a few glow stick bracelets together for some really eye-catching party chain decorations

10. Table settings

Love this place setting idea by Partywirks.com

11. Chandelier

Give the palace at Versailles a run for its money with a chandelier made from glow sticks

View this post on Instagram

No one throws a party like @nicoleasmall No one. #happybirthday #glowstickchandelier

A post shared by Beth Oram (@bethoram) on Jan 21, 2017 at 3:52pm PST

12. Glowing ice bucket

Put some glow sticks in a bucket of ice to keep your drinks cold and classy

View this post on Instagram

#ledicecube #glowice #party_glow #glowstick #party #glow

A post shared by لوازم تولد رنگارنگ (@funglowing) on Sep 27, 2014 at 3:04am PDT

13. Glow stick candy floss

It’s all the rage at weddings now don’t you know?

14. Garden path lighting

15. Garden tree and shrub party lighting

16. Glow stick signage

Stick glow sticks to the wall and make signs with them – like this one by smileandwave

17. Glow ceiling fan

Secure some glow sticks to a ceiling fan, switch it on and VOILA

18. Glow stick balloons

Crack a glow stick and pop it inside a balloon for additional party lighting.

Games and Activities

Just about any activity can be made more exciting with glow sticks. Here are some of our favourites:

19. Photo art

Get your camera on slow shutter and make some glow stick art. It’s the obvious thing to do.

20. Glow in the dark Easter Egg hunt

A twist on the traditional easter egg hunt. Here’s how: plan your own glow in the dark easter egg hunt

21. Diving lighting

Glow sticks are waterproof – that’s why they’re ideal for lighting the way when deep sea diving

22. Garden festival or rave

No need to brave the portaloos at Glastonbury – throw your own festival in your back garden with some loud music, a few hay bales, and a lot of glow sticks

23. Glow in the dark bowling

Put glow sticks in bottles of water to act as the skittle and light the bowling alley with glow sticks. Use a glow in the dark ball to knock dem skittles down!

24. Glow stick skipping rope

Attach glow sticks to a skipping rope for an INSANE skipping experience

25. Glow in the dark noughts and crosses game

Perfect for a summer’s evening

https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/185210603401176254/

26. Glow stick hopscotch

Once you’ve had enough of tic-tac-toe, rearrange your glow sticks for a glow in the dark game of hopscotch

27. Glow in the dark musical instruments

Attach glow sticks to drum sticks or around the outside of a guitar for some truly rock and roll moments

28. Hoopla

12 inch glow sticks and a few glow necklaces are all you need for this simple lawn game. You can get it all in a handy pack here.

29. Sensory play

Glow sticks are great for sensory play. Find out more here.

30. Glow stick bath

Kanye West lets his kids play with glow sticks in the bath. You should too.

31. Glow stick jacuzzi

But if we’re going to be all celebrity about it, you really should be putting glow sticks in your jacuzzi

32. Glow stick pool party

Is this taking it too far?

33. Glowsticking

Ever heard of Glowsticking? Well now you have:

34. Glow stick yoga

If you’re after something a bit more Zen, how about incorporating glow sticks with a spot of yoga? Or glowga, as we like to call it.

35. Glow stick fitness

Perhaps you’re after something to get your blood pumping. Get your glow sticks out and slap on some neon paint for a glow stick fitness class

36. Glow stick war

Get rid of some pent-up aggression and start a glow stick war

37. Fundraisers

If you buy them wholesale, glow sticks have excellent mark-up value which is great for fundraising for charity events or school PTAs.

Craft

38.Pop bottle firefly

Onelittleproject have come-up with this kid-friendly craft using empty bottles and glow sticks

39. Mushroom decorations

Not sure where you’d use them, but these DIY mushroom decorations look pretty good

40. Valentine’s or Mother’s day gifts

Make someone’s heart glow with this cute little craft. It could also work well as wedding favours

41. Night light

Use glow sticks to create a comforting glow for little ones who don’t like the dark.

Have we missed anything?

Get in touch and let us know. Share your glow stick ideas with us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

Never used UV hair mascara? Here are some top tips to create a great new look with some colourful hair streaks. But first…

Why use UV hair mascara?

UV hair mascara is a quick way to update your look. It works in the same way as eye mascara (warning: do not use hair mascara on your eye lashes!), with a mascara wand that gently combs colour through strands of hair.

Unlike hair extensions, or professional dyes, it’s easy to use, instant and won’t break the bank. And because it washes out, it’s a great way to try out bold, new looks without committing to a permanent change.

After all, neon pink UV hair streaks might be a great shout for a festival weekend but may not be so appropriate in the office the week after…

Does hair mascara work on dark hair?

To some extent, the lighter your hair, the brighter the hair mascara will look.

However, that’s not to say people with dark hair can’t create a great look with it. Paint Glow hair mascara comes in really vibrant colours that do stand out on dark hair. It’s also UV, so under a black light, it really doesn’t matter what your natural hair colour is. The UV colour will shine just as bright.

Rather than changing the colour of hair figments like hair dye does, hair mascara works by creating a coating that sits on top of the hair. So, yes, if you have dark hair you can still use UV hair mascara.

Here’s how the different colours show-up on medium brown hair:

As you can see all of the colours show up pretty well on brown hair, but the neon orange, pink and yellow are the most vivid.

How to use UV hair mascara

What you need:

• Wide toothed comb
• Hair brush
• Neon UV Hair Mascara

1. Wash and style your hair as usual

2. Give your hair a thorough brush so that it’s smooth and easy to run the mascara wand through without tangling

3. Use your comb to gather 1-2 inch sections of hair

4. Start with under-layers first and work up to the top layer. This helps you achieve an even spread of colour, as well as giving you a chance to get the hang of using the hair mascara on hair that is less visible

5. Starting at the roots, comb the hair mascara through to the tips. Avoid clumps by ensuring there is not too much product on the mascara wand when applying to your hair – use less and build it up gradually.

6. Build-up the intensity of colour by applying more layers of hair mascara

7. Leave to dry for 1 minute and use your comb to lightly brush the mascara through your hair

8. Leave to dry for an additional 3-4 minutes. Once dry, use your hairbrush to thoroughly brush the product through your hair. This prevents the product from becoming brittle and blends it more naturally with the rest of your hair.

The colour will wash out easily with your usual shampoo. Top tip: If you want to ‘undo’ some hair mascara without washing your hair, use a make-up wipe to quickly remove any unwanted product from your hair. Great for touch-ups and perfecting the ultimate look.

Now you know how to use UV hair mascara, all you need to do is decide how you’re going to style it! Check out these neon UV hair ideas for some inspiration.

This Autism Awareness Month, let’s shed some light on how you can use glow sticks for sensory play, providing tactile and visual stimuli that will make a world of difference for autistic children and adults alike.

What is autism?

Autism is a lifelong disability that can effect the way a person communicates and interacts with people and the world around them.

Children with autism may struggle to make friends and relate to people in a meaningful way.

People on the spectrum have what’s knows as the ‘triad of impairments’, namely:

• Social interaction such as playing or working with other people
• Social communication; for example, a lot of communication is non-verbal and we use many metaphorical turns of phrase (see the opening paragraph) which may cause confusion.
• Social imagination; this is the ability to understand and predict how other people think. For example, an autistic person may assume that because they know something that other people also know the same information.

Making sense of sensory experiences

People with autism often experience over-sensitivity or under-sensitivity in some areas of perception, and can even experience both at different times. The National Autistic Society (NAS) offers some helpful advice on how to engage in positive sensory play with an autistic person:

• Be aware of the environment and try to spot any potential problems. Can you change anything?
• Be creative. Think of creative ways to create positive sensory experiences (see our list of suggestions below)
• Be prepared. Tell the person about the sensory experiences they may have in different environments so that nothing surprises them.

The NAS suggests it can be helpful to draw up a sensory profile detailing the sensory abilities of a person with autism to help you create positive play scenarios.

What is sensory play?

Sensory play is any play activity that stimulates one or more of the five senses to help children develop a positive connection to the world around them.

Sensory experience plays a crucial role in development from birth to early childhood.

It can be hard for children or adults with autism to block out the sensory input from the world around them in order to focus on interacting with a teacher or play mate.

The use of glow sticks in sensory play is a great way of helping a person with autism focus on their immediate environment without getting overwhelmed by sensory overload.

The bright, joyful colours of a glow stick are exciting, and they emit a very gentle light that is not at all harsh, and so is unlikely to provoke a negative reaction.

Glow sticks not only emit pleasing hues that can have a calming effect on those experiencing stress or anxiety, they are really tactile too.

It’s important to make sure that autistic people are happy with tactile experiences such as wearing a glow bracelet or necklace.

Ensure that any autistic person is made aware of the kinds of sensory experiences they will have, and always ensure they are comfortable in their environment. Stop if they experience any distress.

Body awareness

Some autistic people struggle with body awareness. A glow bracelet or glow stick cap can be a great fun way to encourage autistic people to be more aware of their own body.

Eye contact

Eye contact can be very difficult for people with autism. Using a pair of glow glasses is a fun way of encouraging eye contact. Pop on a pair to demonstrate how eye contact doesn’t have to be scary… it can be fun – and funny – too!

Exploration

Placing glow sticks and other luminous objects like glow in the dark balls, or LED balloons, around a room is a great way to encourage autistic children to explore their environment. They can help people with autism focus in specific areas, will help spark curiosity, and encourage them to explore their surroundings in a fun way.

Discounts

We offer a discount for Parent Teacher Associations and Charities, so if you’re looking for glow products to facilitate sensory play, fill in this short form telling us a bit about yourself, and we’ll send you a special discount code for all orders placed through our website.

Safety

All our products are high quality, carry the CE (European Conformity) mark, and conform to the British EN71 safety standard. Always check the packaging for minimum age requirements, and individual product safety guidance.

Before engaging in any sensory play activities, it is a good idea to consult an autism specialist, understand the needs of any autistic persons under your care, and make sure play is fully supervised.

Ideas for sensory play with glow sticks

Here are some fun and easy examples of sensory play with glow sticks.

Glowsticks in the bath

Glowtopia glow sticks are waterproof so they can be a great addition to any water play. They can be a great way to encourage bath time or make a trip to the swimming pool less daunting.

This is a great idea to encourage reluctant bathers, but also a great way of enriching your child’s sensory experience.

One mother writes about both her and her child’s joy of watching brightly coloured glow sticks reflect on the water, then be submerged in a colourful display of bubbles (bubble bath optional) and swishing water.

Glowsticks at the pool

Glow sticks in the bath is a great way to engage in sensory play in a solo environment.

There’s some fun to be had with a more social encounter with water… at the pool.

Lots of autistic people love swimming, but there can be pitfalls.

Loud music played through the PA; the echoey acoustics of poolside chatter; peeping whistles… all these things that most take for granted at a swimming pool can cause distress for those with autism. Here’s how to make the experience more positive and a great way autistic people can interact with others.

Many pools and leisure centres are keen to provide disability friendly swimming sessions in a calmer environment. If your local centre doesn’t do one, just ask if that’s something they would be interested in considering. That’s what happened at the ON-X centre in Renfrewshire, and now they have a dedicated autism friendly swimming session each weekend.

Glow with the flow

At the pool, hand out glow sticks to encourage autistic people to interact with each other and fellow children or adults. It can help focus their attention on their immediate surroundings rather than being distracted by the ambience of the pool. It is of course important that adult supervision is in place at all times. The NHS provide lots of valuable services for those caring for autism. Take a look at what support is available for autism carers on their website.

Glow in the dark Noughts and Crosses

Encourage playing with others with this simple game with a colourful twist. A mother tells the story of how she created a game of Noughts and Crosses (or Tic-Tac-Glow as she calls it) with her kids. This can be achieved by using glow bracelets for the noughts and using short sections of pipe cleaner to strap two glow sticks together to create the crosses.

For more creative suggestions on using glow sticks for sensory play activities, check out this fantastic list of ideas or head over to oneswitch.org.uk for more great ideas that people with severe disabilities can actively enjoy.

UV hair streaks, UV hair chalk and glow in the dark hair gel are a great way to instantly brighten-up your look. With a bit of creativity you can easily achieve a temporary look that is guaranteed to turn heads on a night-out. And with festival season fast approaching, now is a great time to start seeking-out some UV hair inspiration for the summer.

To whet your appetite, here’s some of the best UV hair inspiration and ideas we’ve found on Instagram:

Neon UV Hair Streaks

Sometimes simple is best. Just a few streaks of UV hair mascara are all you need to make a statement. You can go for a single colour, or a blend of two or three different colours, like this hairstyle by @alkmista_

A post shared by Antonella Romita (@alkimista_) on Apr 15, 2017 at 12:42am PDT

All over colour

If you really want to turn heads, go all out and commit to some all over UV colour. This UV hair by @hairbyjennanoel looks amazing and makes a bold statement when combined with UV make-up.

A post shared by 🌜ʝɛŋŋą ŋơɛٳ🌛 (@hairbyjennanoel) on Apr 13, 2017 at 10:47am PDT

Rainbow streaks

Rainbow streaks are massive at the moment. And the best way to achieve that bright, neon look is with hair chalk. Take it a step further with some UV hair chalk to get a pretty night-time glow.

The Ombre

The dip-dyed Ombre look is going to be huge this festival season. And it’s all about using bright colours you wouldn’t expect. Think pastel pink, purple or mermaid blue. You can achieve a UV ombre effect by using some UV hair mascara or hair chalk to add highlights and colour to the tips of your hair. This festival look by @sarahlovenfestivalstyle is a great place to start for inspiration

A post shared by Top Festival Style (@sarahlovenfestivalstyle) on Apr 17, 2017 at 10:42pm PDT

Glow in the dark plaits

This is an easy way to spice up some simple UV hair streaks. Carefully plait the coloured sections of hair so that they stand-out from the rest of your hair. This look reminds me of those braids you get on the beach when you’re on holiday!

A post shared by ChloesHair (@chloerosehairstyles) on Apr 13, 2017 at 9:07am PDT

UV Mermaid

Mermaid hair is about using bright pastel shades to create a magical, flowing, almost fantastical look. You might need a pro to achieve something like this amazing do by @shelleygregoryhair, but imagine adding a bit of UV colour to these locks. The effect would be spectacular.

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For the guys…

Some of you fellas may be well into the mermaid look, or pretty rainbow curls. But if you’re after something for short hair, go for some glow hair gel. It’s invisible, so you can’t see it in the light of day, but under a UV light it glows brightly. Use one colour, all over, or separate your hair into different sections of colour.

We’d love to see some of your festival looks. Use #glowtopia to share your photos with us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

For any parents out there despairing about the amount of that brown sugary nectar consumed by their children over the Easter period, why not consider a glow stick Easter egg hunt over the holiday period!

Let’s face it, Easter eggs seem to be appearing in supermarkets earlier and earlier (I think some were spotted as early as the second week of January this year) and you’ll have done well to get to March without giving into temptation. And I’m not even talking about giving in to your children. Bribery? Chocolate? Heaven forbid!

Here’s an easy, low-cost way of entertaining your children over Easter without chocolate.

A glowing Easter egg hunt! What child doesn’t enjoy an Easter egg hunt? And what child doesn’t enjoy glowing things?

It’s simple to set up.

What you need for a glow in the dark Easter egg hunt

• A selection of large, multi-coloured plastic eggs (most supermarket chains sell these cheaply)
• A selection of multi-coloured glow sticks
• Roll of sellotape

Here’s how to set up your glow stick Easter egg hunt:

1. Begin by bending the glow sticks to activate the luminescent liquid
2. Make two smallish loops by twisting the glow stick around your finger a couple of times (don’t bend too forcibly or they may snap)
3. Stuff the glowing, looped glow stick into a plastic egg (preferably using coordinating colours to enhance the colours of the eggs)
4. Seal the egg tight with sellotape
5. Repeat til you run out!
6. Hide the eggs around your house, turn the lights off and get searching!

Some extra glow stick Easter ideas:

You could begin your glowing Easter egg hunt by asking the children to find one of each colour, or by asking each child to only find one colour and then re-hide and repeat with a different colour. The beauty of this glowing egg hunt is that they can be re-hidden multiple times and with no melting, sticky mess to clean up!

And they will also enjoy hiding the eggs again and again for their siblings and friends. Once activated these glow sticks will remain glowing for 12+ hours, so you’ve got plenty of playing time!

Jazz up your glowing Easter egg hunt a little by giving the winner of each round (if you’re happy to keep re-hiding!) a glow in the dark set of bunny ears.

By the time you’ve finished you’ll have a house full of bouncing, glow in the dark Easter bunnies, minus the sugar-induced hyperactivity! A win-win situation for everyone!

Some top tips for older kids

This idea works quite well with older children who might roll their eyes at a ‘normal’ Easter egg hunt. But you can get added fun by taking some creative glow in the dark photos using the night-time mode on a camera. They’ll love posing with their eggs and bunny ears!

Party Delights suggests using some of their free printable clues to make the hunt more interesting. Lastly, why not get a few marker pens and get them to decorate their eggs or draw faces on them. It will add that finishing touch to your glowing Easter egg hunt!

Happy hunting!

Ever thought about using glow sticks for wedding decorations? Planning a wedding can be great fun. Using your creativity to plan an event that celebrates everything unique and special about your relationship is exciting. Glow stick wedding decorations add something magical to a venue, and an element of fun for your guests. They’re also not going to make a huge dent on the wedding budget.

So we’ve scoured the internet for some of the most memorable glow stick wedding ideas to light-up your wedding day – here’s the best of the best.

Glow stick Wedding Favours

The cost of wedding favours can easily add-up to be surprisingly expensive. Not ideal when more often than not guests forget to take them home at the end of the day. This glow stick idea would work well re-worked as wedding favours to lay next to place settings. Glow sticks are cheap to buy in bulk and your guests will enjoy activating them as part of the celebrations. You could even incorporate them into a grand wedding exit.

“Welcome to our wedding” sign

This sign made from glow sticks looks really effective and is so simple to create. It would work really well as décor at an evening venue, or even as a sign directing guests to the party. You could personalise it with your own names, or with a word or quote that holds particular meaning for your relationship.

Glow stick place settings

OK, so lots of these ideas are for kids’ parties, but how amazing would it look spruced-up a bit at a wedding? Alongside some sliver tableware or vibrant flower arrangements it could look stunning. You can probably buy all sorts of glow-in-the-dark party accessories, but if you wanted to keep it simple, all you’d need would be a few glow necklaces to place on plates and some glow bracelets to place under glasses.

Glow stick chandelier

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No one throws a party like @nicoleasmall No one. #happybirthday #glowstickchandelier

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This is a budget centrepiece that could really pack some wow factor into a wedding venue. Use full-size hula-hoops instead of embroidery hoops and get heaps of cheap glow sticks on wholesale to make a real impact.

Glow stick party chains

Another cheap, simple décor idea, glow stick party chains add a kitsch feel to a celebration. All you need to do is link a load of glow stick bracelets together.

Glow-in-the-dark candyfloss

Candyfloss is becoming increasingly popular as an after-party treat at weddings. Take this sweet snack to another level by wrapping the cotton candy around a glow stick. Glowing candyfloss will look amazing displayed on a table, and as your guests wander around eating it.

Glowing ice

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#ledicecube #glowice #party_glow #glowstick #party #glow

A post shared by لوازم تولد رنگارنگ (@funglowing) on Sep 27, 2014 at 3:04am PDT

If you’re stocking your own bar at the wedding reception, glowing ice is an easy win. Place a glow bracelet at the bottom of an ice-bucket and you have instant glow-in-the-dark ice. Blue glow sticks give a cool, stylish vibe.

Glow straws

Whilst we’re on the drinking theme, check out these glow stick straws. Just bend and snap them to activate the glow and they’ll last for 6+ hours. You could put a load of activated glow straws in jam jars on the bar. Along with your glowing ice, they’ll add some ambience to your bar area.

Glowing balloons

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Just beyond obsessed with the final product of the balloon ceiling for Angel Ball 2016! So much time and work and a lil bit of frustration but it turned out fabulously! #eventdecor #angelball #eventdesign #balloonceiling #technocolor

A post shared by Holly McAnally (@hollybrenna) on Dec 11, 2016 at 1:39pm PST

Glowing balloons are easy to make. Just blow-up a regular balloon and pop an activated glow stick through the opening before you tie it up. Or you could use some LED balloons instead. String the balloons together using needle and thread to create an effective, yet easy decorative feature. Or fill the balloons with helium and release them for a spectacular, glowing balloon ceiling.

Keep your guests entertained

Everyone knows that attending a wedding can involve a bit of waiting around, making polite conversation to distant family members. Lots of weddings these days go beyond a glass of bucks fizz and hors d’ouevres to keep guests entertained.

Lawn games are particularly popular for summer weddings. Go one step further and add a touch of glow to your lawn games.

Glow in the dark hoopla is a great way to get guests interacting and break the ice. Plant some large glow sticks into the ground and use glow necklaces and glow bracelets as the hoops. It’s easy to make yourself, or get hold of our glow hoopla pack to save yourself a bit of money.

Other glow in the dark lawn games include giant tic-tac-toe using glow sticks as your pieces, or glow bowling. Pop some glow sticks into clear bottles of water as your skittles and guests can use a glow in the dark ball to knock them over.

Glow stick grand exit

https://www.instagram.com/p/97U0jHm7NS/

A glow stick send-off is a great alternative to using sparklers if your venue isn’t keen on the use of fireworks in enclosed spaces. Ask your guests to take some glow sticks and gather either side of the exit as you leave. With a talented photographer you’ll be able to get some beautiful photos to remember the day. But with or without photos it’ll be a vibrant, colourful send-off to mark the end of a special day.

We’d love to hear your glow stick decoration ideas and see your photos. Tag @glowtopia_uk on Instagram to share your inspiration!