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
For squads in red and white, red and black or red and gold who need the colour to hold after dark: our LED pom poms glow true red in a dim gym, where red metallic poms go dark, and switch colour together by remote for theme nights. Team pricing is $120 a pair on 10 or more pairs.
Which teams order red pom poms?
Red is one of the five most popular colours among US colleges, with white, blue, black and gold (source: Wikipedia: School colors), and it is rarely worn alone. The second colour decides what the poms should do:
| Team colours | Glow on game night | How to set up the poms |
|---|---|---|
| Red and white | Red, or a red-and-white split | Red streamers; white on the second pom for a split |
| Red and black | Red | Black stays in the uniform and the baton handle |
| Red and gold | Red, with gold for a split | Red or gold streamers |
| Red, white and blue | Red, white or blue by row | A mixed set on a team order |
| Maroon, crimson or cardinal | A bright red | See the shade note below |
On team orders our metallic streamer colours are teal, orange, hot pink, purple, green, silver, red, blue, gold and white, and custom team colours are available on team orders, confirmed with you before production.
Why do red cheer poms look dark in a gym?
As light levels fall, the eye’s sensitivity shifts toward blue and reds look darker than other colours; a red flower that is bright in sunlight looks dark red or black at dusk (source: Wikipedia: Purkinje effect). That is the Purkinje effect, and it hits red poms twice. A red metallic pom only shows colour where light hits it, and with the house lights down for introductions there is little to reflect while the eye is losing red at the same time. A red squad can read maroon or almost black from the stands while a white squad still shows.
Warm-toned floodlights cause a smaller version of the same problem outdoors, where red can go muddy. A light-up pom does not borrow light from the room: it emits its own red, so it stays red in a dark gym, and under warm floodlights.
Metallic or light-up: which red set fits your season?
| Where you cheer | Red metallic pom | Red light-up pom |
|---|---|---|
| Day football | Strong | A red pom with red streamers; reads the same |
| Night football | Red where the floodlights hit | Red from every seat |
| Basketball, lights down for intros | Goes dark | The formation stays red |
| Pink out or lavender night | A second set to buy | Switch by remote |
| Cost per pair | Lower | $120 a pair on 10+ pairs |
If your squad only cheers day games, a standard red metallic set from a cheer supplier is cheaper and the right call. Light-up poms earn their price in the second half of the season: night games, basketball and theme nights.
How do red and white pom poms work as a split set?
A split set puts a different colour in each hand: the raised pom red, the low pom white. From the stands every motion shows both school colours, which a solid red set cannot do. Three ways squads use it:
- By hand: red up, white down, for sideline cheers and the fight song.
- By row: front row red, back row white, for formations that read as stripes from the upper rows.
- Solid for one moment: the whole squad in red for a touchdown or a big play, then back to the split.
Tell us the split when you ask for a quote. Colour breakdown is the most common mistake on team orders, so we confirm it with you before production.
Which nights call for red?
| Night | When | Why red |
|---|---|---|
| Red Ribbon Week | October | The drug-prevention campaign many schools observe |
| National Wear Red Day | The first Friday in February | Women’s heart health, in basketball season |
| Blood cancer awareness | September | Red is the ribbon colour for blood cancers |
| Military appreciation | Around Veterans Day | Red, white and blue across the squad |
| Holiday game | December | Red with green or white |
The National Family Partnership sponsors the annual Red Ribbon Week campaign and runs a Red Ribbon Certified Schools programme (sources: Wikipedia: Red Ribbon Week, National Family Partnership). National Wear Red Day falls on the first Friday in February (source: Wikipedia: National Wear Red Day); red represents blood cancers in September (source: National Foundation for Cancer Research).
A red team already owns these nights. The remote matters for the nights that are not red: pink in October and lavender for an all-cancers game, without a second set. See cancer awareness night ideas for every sport.
What about maroon, crimson and cardinal teams?
Maroon is a dark colour, and light cannot be dark. An LED set to red reads as a bright red, never as maroon, however you set it. Most maroon programmes keep maroon in the uniform and the baton handle and run the glow in red, in white or in their second colour (maroon and gold glows gold). Crimson and cardinal sit closer to an LED red and usually look right from the stands.
Tell us your exact shade when you ask for a quote. Custom team colours are available on team orders, and we confirm the streamer colour with you before production.
How do you film red poms so they stay red on camera?
- Tap the poms, not the field, to set the phone’s exposure.
- Drag the exposure down a step. Saturated red light is hard on phone cameras; overexposed, the centre of a red pom can turn orange or white and lose its shape.
- Film a test clip at the venue during warm-ups, with the lights you will perform under.
- Shoot one wide shot from the far side of the field so the whole formation is in frame.
The squad’s social media lead should run this check once at the first night game and write the settings down.
How many red pom poms does a squad need?
One pair per athlete plus two spares, ordered together so they match. At our team rate of $120 a pair on 10 or more pairs:
| Group | Pairs | Cost at the team rate |
|---|---|---|
| Middle school squad of 10 | 12 | $1,440 |
| Varsity squad of 16 | 18 | $2,160 |
| Cheer and dance, 34 together | 36 | $4,320 |
The same set runs red for every home game and switches for theme nights, so most programmes buy it once and use it all year.
How do you order red pom poms for a squad?
Email or DM us with the squad size, your exact red and second colour, any split set, 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 pom poms for a red and white team?
Red, or a split set with the raised pom red and the low pom white, so both school colours show in every motion.
Do light-up pom poms come in red?
Yes. Ours can be made with red streamers and glow red, and the colour changes by remote for theme nights.
Why do red poms look dark in a gym?
In low light the eye loses red first, so a red metallic pom with little light on it reads maroon or black. A light-up pom emits its own red.
Can a maroon team use light-up poms?
Yes, but the glow reads as bright red, not maroon. Most maroon teams keep maroon in the uniform and handle and glow red, white or their second colour.
What colour poms for a red and black team?
Red. Black cannot be lit, so it stays in the uniform and the baton handle.
How much do red light-up pom poms cost for a team?
Our team rate is $120 a pair on 10 or more pairs. A varsity squad of 16 with two spares is 18 pairs, or $2,160 at that rate.
See also: cheer pom pom colour guide, stadium floodlights vs a dark arena and lights-out intro ideas.
Sources: Wikipedia: School colors, Wikipedia: Purkinje effect, Wikipedia: Red Ribbon Week, National Family Partnership, Wikipedia: National Wear Red Day, National Foundation for Cancer Research.
Red Ribbon Week and National Wear Red Day are named here as public observances; the National Family Partnership and the organisers of National Wear Red Day are not affiliated with Neon Cowboys.
Questions: info@neoncowboys.com.
