A DIY RAINBOW BALLOON ARCH WITH CLOUDS is a great decoration for St. Patrick’s Day, a Rainbow-themed baby shower, or a rainbow birthday party (e.g. a Trolls-themed birthday party). Whatever the occasion, your rainbow balloon arch is sure to make a great rainbow party decoration. A rainbow balloon arch works great for the snacks table decor or a photo booth op. Here is how to make an easy, DIY rainbow balloon arch.
๐ Easy DIY Rainbow Balloon Arch Tutorial
How long does it take to make a rainbow balloon arch?
By far, the most time-consuming part of making a rainbow balloon arch is blowing up 80+ balloons and tying them together. You can make a small DIY rainbow balloon arch by yourself in 2-3 hours. If you have help blowing up balloons and tying them together, you could make it much faster.
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Supplies: DIY Rainbow Balloon Arch Kit
To make the rainbow balloon arch pictured, I used the following supplies (Link to this DIY rainbow balloon arch kit of supplies)
- (80) 5″ colored balloons (8 of each color)
- (8) 12″ white balloons for the larger white cloud base balloons.
- About 7 feet of this 18 gauge 1mm craft wire.
- Note: If you’re using 12″ standard-sized balloons, I would use this arch instead.
- A balloon pumpย (optional – but it definitely speeds things along).
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1. Balloons
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What size Balloons should you use for a Balloon Arch?
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– The size of balloons you should buy depends on the desired size of your arch.
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I used 5″ balloons for the arch pictured in this blog post.
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- (Note: In addition to the 5″ balloons, I also used 8 full-size white balloons to make the bigger white cloud balloons on the ends of the rainbow.
- These also helped serve as a stabilizing baseย so the arch could stand on its own.
- (Note: In addition to the 5″ balloons, I also used 8 full-size white balloons to make the bigger white cloud balloons on the ends of the rainbow.
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- If you want a larger arch, you can use standard-sized 12″ balloons but you’ll also need to buy a frame to support them (see below)
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Amount of balloons to use for rainbow balloon arch:
- Depends on the size. The arch pictured above used 80 5″ balloons and 8 larger, 12″ white balloons.
- Uses 20 rings of 4 balloons (8 ballons of each color)
- If you’re creating a larger arch with standard 12″ balloons, you’ll need more balloons.
- Depends on the size. The arch pictured above used 80 5″ balloons and 8 larger, 12″ white balloons.
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– The tension of the balloons will help hold the arch together, but a wire will add some structure.
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- For a smaller arch made with 5-inch balloons that can stand on its own (like this one I made pictured below), I use some 18 gauge (1mm) artistic copper wire. My arch used about 7 feet of wire. I’ve used and re-used this wire for multiple balloon arches over the years.
- For a larger arch make with full-size balloons, you’ll want a larger ballon arch kit that includes a frame made out of a material similar to a tent frame.
- If you’ll been leaning your balloon arch against a wall for support, a simple fishing line will work.
The tension of the string will hold the balloons together.
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3. Balloon Pump (optional)
A balloon pump is optional, but it does speed things along.



Step 1: Blow up balloons in groups of 4 (these will form your balloon arch “rings”)
IMPORTANT: TRY TO BLOW UP YOUR BALLOONS TO A SIMILAR SIZE. This will make creating your balloon arch easier.


How many balloons do you need for a balloon arch?
A smaller balloon arch made with 5″ balloons will use ~80 balloons (20 “rings” made with 4 balloons).
A larger balloon arch made with standard 12″ balloons will use ~128 balloons (32 balloon rings made of 4 balloons each).
Step 2: Tie balloons together in “couples” of 2.
Step 3: Twist 2 balloon “couples” together to make a balloon quad.
I twist the balloons couples together ~3 times to form this quad. These quads will be your rainbow “rings” for your balloon arch.
Step 4. Secure the balloon quads to the wire to form an arch
Starting with the larger white balloon quad, twist one balloon from each squad onto the wire, then slide into place.
Alternate directions so the next “balloon ring quad” fits snugly against the previous balloon quad.
Keep the balloons tight to form a tension that will hold your arch together.
How many rings of each color you use is up to you. This balloon arch uses 2 “rings” of 4 balloons for each color, or 8 balloons total per color.
I used 10 different colors, for 80 balloons total.
If you have fewer colors, you’ll want to use more rings per color. Overall, this arch made from 5″ balloons has 20 quad rings + 2 rings of larger 12″ balloons for the base.
Larger arches made with 12″ balloons have 32 rings for a total of 128 balloons.












Step 5: If needed, tighten the balloon rings closer to each other or adjust the wire to make the ballon arch even and stable.
Step 6 (Optional): For extra sparkle or light, add a string of lights to your rainbow balloon arch.
This was a last-minute impulse for me, but I love how it turned out! This would be especially fun for an evening event.



Rainbow Balloon Arch Kit
Good luck with your DIY Rainbowย Balloon Arch! Find inspiration for more DIY Projects and Crafts here.
A popular one is this DIY Valentine’s Day Heart Tree.
Read on for more rainbow party ideas (party favors and treats).
Rainbow Party Treats and Party Favors
Whatever the occasion for your rainbow balloon arch, scroll on for ideas for your rainbow party treats and party favors.
Rainbow Party Favor Treats or St. Patricks Day Leprechaun Hunt Treats
These bags of rainbow licorice and chocolate rolos made the perfect rainbow party favor or prize for a Leprechaun Hunt!



Supplies needed for Rainbow Treat party Favors:
- Clear treats bags
- Rainbow Licorice
- Rolos
- Festive ribbon to tie bows
Here is an Amazon list of all the items I used to make these treats.
These rainbow treats were the end of a St. Patrick’s Day Leprechaun hunt for a group of toddlers.
Rainbow Party Favors
Here is a roundup of the best rainbow party favors I’ve found:
Rainbow Paper Gift Bags



Stackable Rainbow 8 Color Crayons
My kids can’t get enough of stackable pens or crayons. These would make an adorable party favor.



Rainbow Sunglasses



Colorful Ring Pops
No matter your age, ring pops are a timeless party favor.



Rainbow Scrunchies
I can’t get enough of these cute rainbow scrunchies! It does my heart so much good to know scrunchies are back in style. So much nostalgia!






Good luck with your rainbow arch and all your party fun!