diff --git a/jquery.flot.js b/jquery.flot.js
index f8bb0b7..72032a2 100644
--- a/jquery.flot.js
+++ b/jquery.flot.js
@@ -115,7 +115,8 @@
                         align: "left", // "left", "right", or "center"
                         horizontal: false
                     },
-                    shadowSize: 3
+                    shadowSize: 3,
+                    highlightColor: null
                 },
                 grid: {
                     show: true,
@@ -290,6 +291,8 @@
                 $.extend(true, options.series.bars, options.bars);
             if (options.shadowSize != null)
                 options.series.shadowSize = options.shadowSize;
+            if (options.highlightColor != null)
+                options.series.highlightColor = options.highlightColor;
 
             // save options on axes for future reference
             for (i = 0; i < options.xaxes.length; ++i)
@@ -2441,13 +2444,14 @@
         function drawPointHighlight(series, point) {
             var x = point[0], y = point[1],
                 axisx = series.xaxis, axisy = series.yaxis;
+                highlightColor = (typeof series.highlightColor === "string") ? series.highlightColor : $.color.parse(series.color).scale('a', 0.5).toString();
             
             if (x < axisx.min || x > axisx.max || y < axisy.min || y > axisy.max)
                 return;
             
             var pointRadius = series.points.radius + series.points.lineWidth / 2;
             octx.lineWidth = pointRadius;
-            octx.strokeStyle = $.color.parse(series.color).scale('a', 0.5).toString();
+            octx.strokeStyle = highlightColor;
             var radius = 1.5 * pointRadius,
                 x = axisx.p2c(x),
                 y = axisy.p2c(y);
@@ -2462,10 +2466,13 @@
         }
 
         function drawBarHighlight(series, point) {
+            var highlightColor = (typeof series.highlightColor === "string") ? series.highlightColor : $.color.parse(series.color).scale('a', 0.5).toString(),
+                fillStyle = highlightColor,
+                barLeft = series.bars.align == "left" ? 0 : -series.bars.barWidth/2;
+                
             octx.lineWidth = series.bars.lineWidth;
-            octx.strokeStyle = $.color.parse(series.color).scale('a', 0.5).toString();
-            var fillStyle = $.color.parse(series.color).scale('a', 0.5).toString();
-            var barLeft = series.bars.align == "left" ? 0 : -series.bars.barWidth/2;
+            octx.strokeStyle = highlightColor;
+            
             drawBar(point[0], point[1], point[2] || 0, barLeft, barLeft + series.bars.barWidth,
                     0, function () { return fillStyle; }, series.xaxis, series.yaxis, octx, series.bars.horizontal, series.bars.lineWidth);
         }