PAR Cans are the most widely used light for concerts, clubs, and theatrical lighting. PAR cans come in a wide variety of sizes and shapes; from the minuscule PAR16 to the 1000 watt PAR64 cans.

Par Cans For lighting stages and theaters, you will find that PAR cans are used much more commonly than any other type of luminary. The fixtures of the PAR cans are nearly comically simplistic in the design, with a closed off cylindrical tube made using a combination of aluminum and steel. The acronym PAR means “parabolic aluminum reflector”, and the name comes from the design of the PAR can that utilizes a reflector in the design of the PAR cans. This reflector helps to concentrate the shining light, as well as giving the light the shape of an oval, also known as a parabola. There is a socket inserted into the back of the PAR cans, and this socket is used to hold the bulbs used to provide the illumination of the PAR cans. The socket also provides the electric current needed to power the light.

Most of the PAR cans use regular bulbs, but there are many LED bulbs used as well. There is usually a space for a gel frame near the front of the PAR cans, as colored gels are inserted into the frames to provide illumination in a variety of colors for the theatrical or musical performance