40 palettes

Festival Color Palette

Press the button for one festival palette: five colors for a poster, bunting or a wristband.

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Main stage: magenta and orangeIndigo sky, magenta stage wash, orange sun, gold haze, navy crowd.#34257E · #E212B9 · #F97B1A · #E8B717 · #152047

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Spring fair morning 10

Balloon gate: peach and lavender Sky blue backdrop, peach balloons, lavender balloons, white balloons, mint ribbon.
Bunting in blossom: pale pink and lilac Cream cord, pale pink flags, lilac flags, mint flags, green hedge.
Cake table: peach and pale pink White cloth, peach sponge, pale pink icing, lavender bunting, scarlet strawberries.
Face paint stall: aqua and pink White cloth, aqua paint pot, pink paint pot, butter yellow sponge, lavender glitter.
Maypole dance: pink and mint White pole, pink ribbon, mint ribbon, butter yellow ribbon, sky blue backdrop.
Morning gates: white and coral Sky blue backdrop, white tent tops, coral flags, mint grass in haze, cream path.
Petal headband: lilac and lime green White small flowers, lilac big blooms, lime green leaves, pale pink ribbon, tan straw hat.
Plant stall: green and butter yellow Cream awning, green seedlings, butter yellow price tags, tan crates, pink tulips.
Raffle tickets: coral and aqua White table, coral ticket strip, aqua ticket strip, lilac prize tags, tan cash tin.
Welcome poster: coral and turquoise Cream paper, coral headline, turquoise border, butter yellow sun, lilac flowers.

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Fairground afternoon 10

Big wheel: red and yellow Azure sky, white spokes, red cars, yellow cars, green cars.
Bumper cars: lime green and orange Navy floor, lime green car, orange car, white sparks, blue bumpers.
Carousel: gold and turquoise Cream horses, gold poles, turquoise canopy, red saddles, pink painted roses.
Hook a duck: yellow and orange Aqua water, yellow ducks, orange beaks, white rim, blue stall.
Prize wall: violet and lime green White shelves, violet teddy, lime green frog, yellow duck, hot pink ribbon.
Spiral slide: scarlet and azure Cream tower, scarlet stripe, azure stripe, yellow flag, tan mats.
Spun sugar cart: hot pink and sky blue White cart, hot pink cotton candy, sky blue cotton candy, yellow awning stripes, cream paper cones.
Striped tent: red and yellow White stripes, red stripes, yellow pennant, blue sky, gold ropes.
Ticket booth: cream and gold Red booth, cream sign, gold lettering, cobalt blue trim, white tickets.
Wristband stack: magenta and turquoise White table, magenta wristband, turquoise wristband, yellow wristband, orange wristband.

Sunset stage 10

Flag parade: scarlet and yellow Indigo sky, scarlet flag, yellow flag, magenta flag, cream poles.
Flags on poles: coral and amber Purple dusk sky, coral low cloud, amber sun, hot pink flags, plum crowd.
Food stalls at dusk: amber and coral Navy awnings, amber bulbs, coral sky, red signs, violet dusk.
Glitter cape: gold and hot pink Purple cape, gold glitter, hot pink lining, orange sun flare, navy crowd.
Guitar solo: orange and yellow Plum guitarist, orange sky, yellow sun, magenta cloud, indigo stage roof.
Hands in the air: hot pink and amber Navy crowd, hot pink stage light, amber sun rim, peach sky, purple speaker stacks.
Lanyard pass: yellow and magenta Violet lanyard, yellow pass, magenta print, coral card back, indigo shadow.
Main stage: magenta and orange Indigo sky, magenta stage wash, orange sun, gold haze, navy crowd.
Sunset poster: orange and hot pink Cream paper, orange sun disc, hot pink stripe, purple hills, yellow lettering.
Tent ridge: peach and scarlet Indigo tents, peach sky, scarlet flag, gold guy lines, violet far hill.

Lantern night 10

Bulb string: butter yellow and coral Midnight blue sky, butter yellow bulbs, coral bunting, navy tents, cream tablecloths.
Campsite glow: orange and butter yellow Navy sky, orange lit tent, butter yellow flashlight, indigo dark tents, cream moon.
Closing fireworks: gold and scarlet Midnight blue sky, gold big burst, scarlet second burst, white falling sparks, violet smoke drift.
Glow bands: lime green and hot pink Plum dark field, lime green band, hot pink band, turquoise band, yellow band.
Lantern parade: amber and pink Navy street, amber lanterns, pink lanterns, white sparkler, purple crowd.
Lantern stall: orange and yellow Navy street, plum awning, orange lanterns, yellow lanterns, red tassels.
Lantern tree: red and amber Midnight blue sky, red lantern, amber lantern, cream lantern, plum tree.
Lanterns on water: amber and peach Midnight blue far bank, amber lantern glow, peach paper, navy river, gold reflections.
Last song: hot pink and amber Midnight blue sky, hot pink stage beam, amber stage glow, azure beam, navy crowd.
Night poster: gold and coral Midnight blue paper, gold lettering, coral lanterns, cream moon, violet border.

How this list was compiled: Own work, written for Draw This Next on 2026-10-09: palettes of five colors for posters, bunting and wristbands, sorted by time of day (a spring fair in the morning, a fairground in the afternoon, a stage at sunset, a lantern night). Every palette, name, color word, hex code and part is our own choice; nothing is sampled from a poster, a photograph or a logo, no festival, band, venue or brand is named, and the page states no outside fact. How a strip is ordered: each color is named for its part of one small scene, and the name carries two of the colors; a lantern night strip starts with its dark. Our own tests, not a standard: a spring fair strip holds white or cream, three or more light colors (an HSL lightness of 70 percent or more) and no dark; a fairground strip holds white or cream and three or more strong colors (a saturation over 55 percent, a lightness between 30 and 85) with hues 40 degrees or more apart; a sunset strip holds three or more strong colors with a hue from 300 degrees around to 60 (magenta through red and orange to yellow), at least one dusk color (a hue from 225 to 305 degrees, a lightness of 45 or less) and no green or daytime blue; a lantern night strip starts with its darkest color (WCAG relative luminance, the formula at https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Understanding/contrast-minimum.html) and holds two or more warm lights that reach 3 to 1 against it; no two colors of a palette are closer than 8 in CIE Lab; no two palettes share four codes. Color names are plain English words with no paint maker, pencil brand or color-matching system, and one word is one code everywhere on this list. Checked on 2026-10-09: every code is #RRGGBB, each color word fits the hue and lightness of its code, no palette, name or line repeats, and no palette is on another palette list of this site or of its sister sites. The hex codes are for a screen; with paint, pencils or ink, take the nearest color. Licence: own work

How it works

A festival color palette changes with the hour. These run from a spring fair in the morning, through a fairground afternoon and a stage at sunset, to lanterns after dark, and each strip is one thing to draw.

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Morning to night

Spring fair morning is white or cream with soft colors: mint, butter yellow, lilac and pink. Fairground afternoon turns them up to red, yellow and blue on white. Sunset stage drops green and daytime blue for magenta, orange, hot pink and gold over indigo. Lantern night starts from its dark, most often midnight blue, and glows in amber, gold and red.

Poster, bunting or wristband

On a poster, let the lightest or the darkest color be the paper and give the two colors in the name to the headline and the picture. For bunting, repeat three or four of the five in turn. A wristband needs only two: the pair in the name.

Questions and answers

What colors are festival colors?

On this list white, cream and yellow stand in the most strips, then navy, gold and orange. The brights include hot pink #FA2E9B, coral #F37F68, turquoise #25D0C5 and magenta #E212B9.

What is a good color palette for a music festival poster?

Sunset poster: cream paper, an orange sun disc, a hot pink stripe, purple hills and yellow lettering. For a night show, Night poster puts gold lettering and coral lanterns on midnight blue with a cream moon and a violet border.

What colors work for a festival at night?

A dark first, then warm lights. Lantern tree is midnight blue with red, amber and cream lanterns on a plum tree. Every lantern night strip holds two or more warm lights that reach 3 to 1 against its dark.