Which lights are used in stadiums?

Stadiums run on high-wattage floodlights. For decades, that meant metal halide or high-pressure sodium lamps—those big, buzzing fixtures you see on top of poles. Metal halide gives a white-ish light that works for TV broadcasts, but it takes ten minutes to warm up and another ten to restrike if it goes off. High-pressure sodium has that orange-yellow glow, cheaper to run but lousy for color accuracy. Neither one dims well, and both leak UV over time. You still find them in older ballparks and local fields, but nobody installs them new anymore.

Today it’s all LED. Modern stadium lighting uses high-output LED panels or modular floodlights. They kick on instantly, dim to any level, and aim precisely with individual lenses—no light spilling into the stands or the neighborhood. Color temperature sits around 5000K to 6500K, which looks crisp for 4K broadcasts and doesn’t mess with player depth perception. A good LED system also shaves 70% off the electric bill and lasts five times longer than those old bulbs. You’ll see them in the NFL, and even Friday night high school fields now. The short answer: LEDs, period.