Balloons and Balloon Garland Supplies

Latex or foil balloons?

Latex balloons stretch as they fill and come in bulk, which makes them the base of garlands, bouquets and wall clusters. Our blue polka dot pack has 30 natural latex 12 in balloons, 10 each in royal blue, light blue and white, plus three 33 ft (10 m) ribbon rolls. Filled with air, they won't float, so use them for garlands, wall taping and floor decor; use helium for floating bouquets.

Foil balloons don't stretch. They hold a printed shape, which is why they work as a single focal point: a smiley face, a cake, a snail. Inflate them slowly to about 80–90% full and stop before the seams feel tight. The foil vs latex balloon guide covers float time and reuse in detail.

Filling foil balloons without helium

Every foil balloon here has a self-sealing valve. Slide a drinking straw or a narrow pump nozzle past the valve's neck, fill slowly, then pull it out and press the valve flat. Air-filled foil balloons won't float, so plan to hang them with the ribbon or tape them to a wall. Step-by-step photos are in how to inflate foil balloons without helium.

Building a balloon arch or garland

The arch strip kit is the frame-free way to build a garland. Push each tied balloon neck through a large hole, slide the knot into the smaller slot, and move knots along the strip to adjust spacing. The 300 glue dots fill gaps with smaller accent balloons. It bends into arches, swags and circles, but it isn't a stand, so you'll need hooks or a frame to hold the shape. Test glue dots on a hidden spot of painted walls first.

As a rule of thumb, a full garland takes about 10 to 14 mixed-size balloons per foot. Enter your length in the balloon arch calculator for a count by size, and follow the balloon arch strip guide for setup.

Matching a balloon to the party

• Kids' birthdays: the 30 in smiley face birthday balloon or the cake balloon makes the backdrop for cake photos. More ideas are on our kids' birthday page.
• Spanish-language celebrations: the Feliz Cumpleaños gift box keeps the message in one piece, with no letters to line up.
• Bug, garden or jungle themes: the pink-and-green snail.
• Halloween: the bloodshot eyeball for a porch or haunted room. Outdoors, secure it firmly and bring it inside in wind or rain. See our Halloween page.

Keep uninflated and broken balloons away from young children and throw broken pieces away promptly. The polka dot balloons are natural latex, so skip them for anyone with a latex allergy.