Easy DIY Balloon Arch (For Around $10!)
Making a fun balloon arch can be a great addition to your party or event, and I don’t know another way to get this great of an impact for around $10!
(This post contains affiliate links which help support this blog.)
Here’s all you’ll need to make yours:
- Approximately 115 latex balloons (Here is a super deal on Amazon for 144 assorted colors!)
- Cotton string (only $1 at the Dollar Tree)
- (2) 10′ lengths of PVC (1/2 inch diameter) from Lowes or Home Depot (around $2 each)
- 1 PVC coupler, also from Lowes or HD (only 39¢!)
- a couple of umbrella stands to hold your arch
You’ll need a compressor (or a lot of volunteers!) to blow up all the balloons. Then, working with pieces of string about 5 feet long, tie on the balloons, approximately 4 inches apart. Dave and Abby and I worked together–Dave inflated them, Abby tied, then I tied them onto the string. We were able to blow up all 115 and have them tied on in about an hour.
You can blow up the balloons up to 24 hours in advance, but I wouldn’t recommend earlier than that or the balloons will start to dull and deflate.
Next, you’re ready to attach the balloons to the PVC. Start at one end of one of the PVC pieces, allowing several inches for the end of the pipe to fit into the umbrella stand later. Tape or tie the end of the first string of balloons onto the pipe, and then just start wrapping the string of balloons around, bunching themtogether as you go.
Start the next string right after thefirst by taping it or tying it, then continue wrapping.
You’ll use the coupler to hold the 2 lengths of PVC together.
And you’ll definitely need a couple of friends to help you out as you work your way to the end. (Big thanks to Holly and Brooke for lending their hands!)
Once the balloons are on, place them in the umbrella stands to hold it up! We had a breezy day (not to mention a helicopter landing in the vicinity), so we had to weigh down the umbrella stands with some rocks to give it a little more stability.
Overall, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy and inexpensive the project was, so now I’m a big fan!
Have you ever made one of these? Who’s ready to give it a try?
November 13, 2014 @ 4:13 pm
How cute is that? Looks good! Will have to pin it for remembering it later.
July 22, 2015 @ 8:31 pm
Definitely trying this! Will be great for my Son's birthday party!
February 19, 2016 @ 10:22 pm
How did you tie the balloons on the string and how did you wrap the string around the PVC? Great Idea!
January 12, 2017 @ 12:05 pm
How tall was the arch when you were done?
January 12, 2017 @ 12:38 pm
That’s a good question! I don’t remember exactly, but it was probably around 7 or 8 feet– tall enough for adults to walk under.
February 23, 2017 @ 11:35 am
This is such an awesome diy!! So happy to see a balloon arch tutorial w/o helium balloons! Did you have any difficulty getting the pipe to bend? Or getting the pipe to fit (and stay put) in the umbrella stands?
February 23, 2017 @ 3:10 pm
We had no trouble with it! It stayed just fine, too. We even had a helicopter land in the parking lot & it survived! 🙂
September 20, 2017 @ 7:56 am
This is great! Did you have to use flexible pvc piping?
September 20, 2017 @ 9:26 am
It was just a long, thinner piece, so it bends perfectly without being too flimsy– hope that helps you!
May 19, 2018 @ 8:46 am
you can also use a 3/4 diameter pvc piece hammered into the ground on each end to hold the ends of the 1/2″ pipe in place. If you don’t have umbrella stands.
February 11, 2019 @ 11:08 am
where did you get the umberella stands
February 12, 2019 @ 10:23 am
These were just some owned by friends, but you should be able to find them at Lowes, Home Depot, Walmart, etc!
May 2, 2019 @ 4:29 pm
I was running out of ideas on how to quickly add balloons to an arch. This is brilliant!
25 DIY Balloon Arch Ideas - How To Make A Balloon Garland
March 5, 2021 @ 10:41 am
[…] Click for more details […]
May 23, 2021 @ 8:00 pm
How did you tie the balloons to the string? Could you do a tutorial or point me in the direction of one?
I’m making it for my son’s birthday and am super excited to try it out!