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LED Light-Up Cheer Bows
White bows with built-in LEDs that glow any color at the click of a button, one bow per athlete.
$66 USD per bow · 10-bow minimum
For coaches choosing bow colours for a squad: our light-up cheer bows are white bows with built-in LEDs, so one bow runs your team colour at most games and pink or gold on cause nights, set with its button to match your light-up poms. See the light-up cheer bows page for current pack sizes and team pricing.
Which cheer bow colour should a squad order?
Start from the uniform, not the bow. A cheer bow sits high at the crown, the highest point of every athlete on the sideline, so it is the first colour the stands read. Three choices cover almost every squad:
| Choice | What it does | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| White | Matches any uniform and picks up stadium and arena light | Squads with more than one uniform, or one bow for every game |
| Main school colour | Ties the squad to the school at a glance | One-uniform squads and schools known by one colour |
| Two colours | Carries both school colours in one bow | Two-colour schools that want both in every photo |
Cause colours sit on top of that choice for a game or two a season. Varsity Spirit’s own bow rotation is a solid-colour, 3-inch sideline bow for camp and football season, a gold glitter bow for childhood cancer awareness in September, a pink bow for October games, and a sparkle bow for competition (source: Varsity Spirit: Celebrate Bow-vember). That is at least four bows per athlete before basketball season, which is why colour is the first question on a bow order.
Why are white cheer bows the default?
White cheer bows are the safe order for three reasons:
- They match every uniform. A white bow sits on red, navy, black, green or purple without clashing, so a squad with a home and an away uniform buys one bow.
- They read brightest under lights. White ribbon picks up floodlights and arena lights better than any dark colour, so the bow still shows from the upper rows.
- They take any accent. A white base carries glitter, a rhinestone centre or a team-colour layer. Superior Cheer & Dance’s senior bow, for example, is white grosgrain with a glitter accent in a colour the buyer picks (source: Superior Cheer & Dance: senior bow).
The cost of white is care. White ribbon shows makeup, hairspray and the bottom of a cheer bag. Varsity’s advice is to treat bows like earrings and keep them out of the bottom of the bag, where they get stained or wrinkled (source: Varsity Spirit: Celebrate Bow-vember). Order a few spares, because one grey bow stands out in a line of white ones.
White is also the starting point for our light-up cheer bows: they are white cheer bows with built-in LEDs. Click the button on the bow to change the light colour, or let it cycle through the colours, and set every bow to the same colour so the squad glows together. See the light-up cheer bows page for current pack sizes and team pricing.
How do red, blue, purple and black cheer bows read on the sideline?
A bow in the school colour does a different job from white: it tells the crowd whose squad it is. Here is how each colour works as a ribbon bow, and what changes once the bow is lit:
| School colour | As a ribbon bow | Under the lights |
|---|---|---|
| Red | Strong in daylight and under floodlights | A lit bow reads as a bright red point at every crown |
| Royal or navy blue | Royal shows from the stands; navy can look black at night | Light reads brighter than navy ribbon, so let the uniform carry the navy |
| Purple | Reads well up close; deep purple goes dark under night lights | Lit purple holds its colour in a dark gym |
| Black | Disappears against dark hair and a night sky | Light can’t be black, so a black-and-colour school glows in its second colour |
| Kelly or forest green | Kelly reads; forest goes dark at night | Light reads as a brighter green; the forest shade lives in the uniform |
| Pink | Bright in every light | The cause colour for a pink out, then back to team colour |
Light is bright by nature, which is why a lit bow reads where a dark ribbon doesn’t. With our light-up bows, click the button on each bow until it shows your team colour, and set every bow the same. The same thinking for poms is in choosing team pom colours.
Add to your team order
Light-Up LED Pom Poms
Metallic streamers with LEDs built into the pom, a rechargeable pack, and one remote that changes the whole team’s color at once.
$145 USD per pair
When do two-colour cheer bows make sense?
Two-colour bows suit schools that are known by both colours. The usual build is layered: Superior Cheer & Dance’s two-layer bow stacks one 3-inch and one 2¼-inch grosgrain ribbon in two colours of the buyer’s choice (source: Superior Cheer & Dance: two-layer bow). Other routes are a white bow with a team-colour centre or glitter accent, or a team-colour bow with a white layer.
- Put the colour you want seen from the stands on the wide layer. The wide layer reads at a distance; the narrow layer reads in photos.
- Keep a light colour outside for night games. A dark wide layer goes flat under night lights.
- Let the poms carry the second colour. Light-up poms run as a split set, the raised pom one colour and the low pom another, so one-colour bows and split poms show both school colours.
With light-up bows, the simplest two-colour plan is every bow set to one school colour with its button, and the poms run as a split set in both colours.
Which bow colours do cause nights call for?
Cause nights are where squads buy a bow they wear once. The colour is set by the cause, not the school. From the National Foundation for Cancer Research (source: National Foundation for Cancer Research):
| Colour | Cause | Awareness month |
|---|---|---|
| Pink | Breast cancer | October |
| Gold | Childhood cancer | September |
| Lavender | All cancers | February |
Pink is the big one. Cheerleading Company describes a pink out during Breast Cancer Awareness Month as cheerleaders “stepping onto the sidelines in pink bows, tees, skirts and other spirited gear” (source: Cheerleading Company: Go Pink). Breast cancer cheer bows usually mean a solid pink bow, a pink-ribbon print or a pink glitter bow, and Varsity suggests reusing the October pink bow for February games near Valentine’s Day (source: Varsity Spirit: Celebrate Bow-vember).
A light-up bow changes colour with the button on the bow, so the squad wears one bow for the pink out and its team colour at every other game. Set every bow to pink for the night, and switch the poms to pink by remote. See pink out game ideas, pink pom poms and cancer awareness night ideas.
Add to your team order
Light-Up LED Pom Poms
Metallic streamers with LEDs built into the pom, a rechargeable pack, and one remote that changes the whole team’s color at once.
$145 USD per pair
How do bow colours read under floodlights, in a dark gym and on camera?
| Where | Ribbon or glitter bow | Light-up bow |
|---|---|---|
| Daytime field | Colour reads true; white and bright colours carry furthest | The glow matters least here; plan colours for the night games |
| Floodlit night field | Glitter and rhinestones catch the floodlights; dark ribbon goes flat | The bow glows in the colour you set |
| Lights-down moment | The bow disappears with the lights | The bow stays lit at the crown of every head |
| Dark gym or arena | Only white or very bright ribbon shows | Set bows and poms to one colour and the squad glows as one |
| Phone video | Dark bows vanish in a dim frame | Lit bows show in the frame; film a test clip in your venue |
Glitter cheer bows are ribbon with glitter heat-transfer vinyl pressed on with an iron or heat press (source: Be Incredibow by Kaely: cheer bow basics). Glitter sparkles under floodlights and stage light, but it needs that light to sparkle. A light-up bow makes its own, which is the difference once the house lights go down. For the venue-by-venue comparison on poms, see stadium floodlights vs dark arenas.
How many bows does a squad need in a season?
Count the season before you count the colours. Using Varsity’s rotation as the guide:
| Bow | When it’s worn | Ribbon bows per athlete | With a light-up bow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solid sideline bow | Camp, practice and day games | 1 | Stays ribbon: daytime and practice |
| Gold cause bow | September games | 1 | Click the light-up bow to the cause colour for the night |
| Pink cause bow | October games | 1 | The same bow, pink for the pink out |
| Sparkle or competition bow | Competition season | 1 | The light-up bow in team colour, on the mat and at awards |
| Night-game bow | Home games under the lights | — | The light-up bow in team colour |
For a squad of 16, four ribbon bows each is 64 bows a season. A light-up bow does not replace the practice bow, but one bow per athlete covers the night games and the cause nights. For competition bows, see competition cheer bows.
What should a coach decide before ordering bow colours?
| Question | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| One uniform or several? | White if several; the school colour if one |
| Which games are at night or indoors? | Decides whether a light-up bow earns its place |
| Which cause nights are on the calendar? | Pink in October, gold in September, lavender in February |
| One colour or two? | A layered ribbon bow, or one-colour bows with split-set poms |
| Do bows and poms need to match? | Set each light-up bow to the poms’ colour with its button |
| How many athletes, plus spares? | Light-up bow packs: See the product page |
Answer those six and the bow order writes itself. For the full squad list, see the squad accessories checklist.
How do you order light-up bows in your team colours?
See the light-up cheer bows page for current pack sizes and team pricing. Competition rules vary by event, so check with your event producer before using anything lit in a judged routine.
Planning names, tails or a two-colour look? See custom cheer bows for teams. Planning a glow night or a whiteout? See glow bows for cheer.
Email or DM us with your team size, your team colours and cause nights, and your first game date. We make our light-up products ourselves and will tell you plainly what fits your date. See team orders for how a group order works.
Frequently asked questions
What colour cheer bows should a team get?
White or the main school colour for the season, a two-colour bow if the school is known by both colours, and pink or gold for cause nights.
Why do so many squads wear white cheer bows?
White matches every uniform, reads brightest under lights and takes any accent colour. The trade-off is care: keep white bows clean and order spares.
What colour bow do cheerleaders wear for breast cancer awareness?
Pink, for Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October. The National Foundation for Cancer Research lists pink as the breast cancer ribbon colour.
Are black cheer bows a good idea?
In daylight, yes. At night a black ribbon bow disappears against dark hair and a dark sky, and light can’t be black, so a light-up bow for a black-and-colour school glows in the second colour.
Can a light-up cheer bow switch between team colours and a cause colour?
Yes. Our light-up cheer bows are white bows with built-in LEDs. Click the button on the bow to change the light colour, so the same bow runs your team colour at most games and the cause colour on the night.
What colours do light-up cheer bows come in?
They are white with the lights off. One button cycles the light through the colours; our bow video shows red, royal blue, green, purple, aqua and white.
Can we buy one light-up cheer bow?
See the light-up cheer bows product page for current pack sizes and team pricing.
How much do light-up bows and poms cost?
For the bows, see the light-up cheer bows product page for current pack sizes and team pricing. Our light-up poms are $120 a pair on 10 or more pairs, so a squad of 16 is $1,920 for the poms.
More cheer bow guides:
- Light-up cheer bows for teams: the hub: what the bows do, matching poms, how many to order.
- Cheer bows for teams, in bulk: materials, sizes, how many per athlete and who pays.
- Cheer bow size chart: 6, 7 and 8 inch bows, jumbo bows and our light-up bow measured.
- Competition cheer bows: light-up bows for all-star teams on the mat and at awards.
- Custom cheer bows: team colours, names, tails and light-up bows.
- Glow bows and light-up cheer bows: LED vs glow-in-the-dark vs neon bows for glow nights.
- Senior cheer bows: what coaches and booster clubs order for senior night.
- How to make cheer bows, or order them: supplies, hours and cheer bow placement.
- Cheer accessories checklist: everything a squad orders each season.
- Shop light-up cheer bows: current packs and team pricing.
See also: choosing team pom colours and pink out game ideas.
Sources: Varsity Spirit: Celebrate Bow-vember, National Foundation for Cancer Research, Cheerleading Company: Go Pink, Superior Cheer & Dance: two-layer bow, Superior Cheer & Dance: senior bow, Be Incredibow by Kaely: cheer bow basics.
Brand, school and booster club names are used only to identify sources. None is affiliated with or endorses Neon Cowboys.
Questions: info@neoncowboys.com.
