DIY Balloon Arch & Garland Kits

We build balloon arches and garlands for a living — for graduations, weddings, storefront openings and birthdays across Minnesota, Wisconsin and Southwest Florida. These kits are the same balloons, in the same proportions we use on paying jobs, counted out and bagged so you can build one yourself anywhere in the country.

Every kit is professional Tuftex latex in three sizes, plus the flexible core the garland is built on. Pick your palette, pick your length, and we ship it free.

Shop the kits

Each kit comes in four sizes, from a 6 ft accent to a 20 ft statement piece. More palettes are on the way — if you want one we have not built yet, tell us and we will quote it.

What's in every balloon garland kit

• Professional-grade Tuftex latex balloons in three sizes — 5", 11" and 17", pre-counted and bagged by color. Mixing three sizes is what gives a garland depth. Kits built on one or two sizes look like a row of balloons no matter how carefully you assemble them.

• 260Q balloons for the core — the flexible spine the whole garland is built onto. No plastic strip needed.

• Ten percent extra balloons. Standard practice on a professional install, because a few always pop. Most kits don't include them.

• A printed card with a QR code to our full video guide.

No helium, no tank, nothing to rent or return.

What you'll need that isn't in the kit

Two things, and both are a few dollars at any hardware store.

A pump. Hand or electric. You can inflate by mouth, but you'll regret it somewhere around balloon thirty. The card in your kit links to the one we use.

Something to hang it with. Command strips for a smooth wall, or fishing line and a few zip ties to suspend it from a rail, a beam or a frame. Which one depends on where it's going, so we'd rather you buy the right thing than pay us for the wrong one.

Why these beat a big-box kit

Most balloon arch kits sold online are built to hit a price, not to look good. Here's the honest comparison.

The latex. Marketplace kits use thin, unbranded balloons — popping while you build, and colors that don't match the photo, are the two most common complaints about them. Ours are professional Tuftex, the same balloons we put on paying jobs.

The sizes. Most kits ship one or two sizes. Ours ship three — 5", 11" and 17" — in the ratio that creates depth rather than a flat row.

The spares. Most kits include none, so whatever pops, you lose. We pack ten percent extra in every kit.

The colors. A factory kit is whatever colors happened to run that week. Ours are mixed from over 200 professional colors on our own shelves.

The instructions. Usually a diagram, sometimes badly translated. Ours is a printed card plus a full video guide that's free to anyone, whether they buy from us or not.

Who designed it. Usually nobody you can name. Ours are built by a studio that installs these every week.

How to build a balloon arch

The method is the one professionals use, and it's more forgiving than it looks. Tie the 260Q balloons end to end to make a flexible core as long as you want the garland. Inflate your round balloons — slightly under full, which holds a rounder shape and pops far less. Twist them into couplings of six, then twist each coupling onto the core, pushing them tight together and rotating each one so they face different directions. Tuck the small balloons into the gaps at the end.

The one rule worth knowing: don't build a pattern. Sequenced colors read as homemade. Grab whatever comes to hand and let clusters happen naturally — the irregularity is what makes it look professional.

Our full step-by-step guide, with video, is free whether you buy from us or not. Read the full guide.

Questions we get

What is a balloon arch kit?

Everything you need to build a balloon arch or garland yourself, counted out for the length you want. Ours is latex balloons in three sizes plus the core they're built onto, with ten percent extras. Some are called balloon arch kits and some balloon garland kits — it's the same thing. A garland is the run of balloons; arching it over a doorway or backdrop is one of the ways you can hang it.

How many balloons do I need for a balloon arch?

About ten round balloons per foot, plus one core balloon for every four. A 6 ft arch takes roughly 60 balloons and a 20 ft takes about 200. Split them roughly 40% at 5 inch, 48% at 11 inch and 12% at 17 inch, and add ten percent spare for pops. Our kits are already counted this way.

Do balloon arches need helium?

No. Arches and garlands are built with air. Helium would work against you — you want the balloons to hold their shape against a wall or frame, not pull upward. No tank, no rental, nothing to return.

Is it hard to build?

No experience needed. If you can tie a balloon you can build this. The finished look is meant to be irregular, so there's no pattern to get wrong and no way to make it look "off". Use a pump for anything larger than the 10 ft.

Why a 260 core instead of decorating strip, fishing line or ribbon?

Because latex grips latex. A coupling twisted onto a 260 core stays exactly where you put it, and the core bends with the garland instead of fighting it — so it drapes around corners, columns and arches without kinking. Decorating strip is rigid plastic that shows through the gaps and won't curve tightly. Fishing line and ribbon have no body, so the couplings slide and the garland can't hold its shape. Fishing line is for hanging a finished garland, not for building one. If you already own strip, our balloons work with it perfectly well — thread instead of twist.

What if a balloon pops?

We pack ten percent extra for exactly that. A few always go, and it's not something you did wrong.

How long will it last?

Indoors and out of direct sun, an air-filled latex garland holds its look for several days. Heat and direct sunlight are what shorten it more than anything else. We wrote about balloon longevity in detail here.

Can I use it outdoors?

Yes, with two caveats. Direct sun shortens the life considerably, and wind will move an unanchored garland around. Anchor both ends properly and put it in shade if you can.

Do you ship nationwide?

Anywhere in the US, free on every order, no minimum.

Can you build it for me instead?

If you're in Minnesota, western Wisconsin or Southwest Florida, yes — we install in person, including delivery, setup and takedown. Tell us about your event and we'll put together a quote.

Rather we build it for you?

We install balloon garlands, arches, columns and towers in person across the Twin Cities, western Wisconsin and Southwest Florida — delivered, built on site and taken down afterward, so you never touch a balloon. Tell us about your event and we'll put together a quote.

Want to see them built? Our balloon lookbook has real installs across every palette.