Balloon Walls in Chicago
Solid balloon photo walls on freestanding frames
Organic, grid, framed and foil balloon walls that turn a plain wall, a loft corner or a hotel function room into the photo spot of the night, all on freestanding frames so nothing sticks to the paint.
- Free custom quotes
- Delivery, setup & pickup
- Indoor & outdoor installs
- Air-filled or helium
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- 1Tell us your date, venue and colors
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Balloon walls at a glance
Balloon Arch Chicago builds organic, grid (link), framed and foil balloon walls on freestanding frames, usually 6 to 10 feet wide, for homes, lofts, restaurants and hotels across Chicagoland. Foil walls start at $125, grid walls at $425 and organic balloon walls at $595.
- Popular sizes
- 6×6 ft up to 8×10 ft
- Styles
- Organic, grid/link, framed, foil, floating
- How it stands
- On its own weighted frame, no tape on walls
- Lifespan
- Several days indoors when air-filled
- Common uses
- Photo walls, stage backdrops, dessert tables, step-and-repeat
The basics
What Is a Balloon Wall?
A balloon wall is a solid sheet of balloons, usually 6 to 10 feet across, that stands in as a backdrop.
A balloon arch frames a space and a balloon garland follows a line, but a balloon wall covers the entire surface. Because it's built on its own frame or grid, it can stand in front of any wall, window or stage and become a photo backdrop, the background for the dessert table, a stage wall or a branded step-and-repeat.
Square foot for square foot, nothing else in balloon decor makes as big an impression. Walls work for birthdays, weddings, grad parties, gender reveals, holiday parties and corporate events, and since there's no gap for the room to peek through, every photo in front of one looks clean.
Wall styles
Types of Balloon Walls We Build
There are five ways to build a balloon wall. Each has its own look and its own price point.
Organic balloon walls
An organic wall covers the entire frame in mixed balloon sizes for a soft, cloud-like surface with lots of texture. It's the richest-looking option and the one couples, shower hosts and milestone-birthday planners usually choose. It also takes the most balloons, so it sits at the top of the range.
Grid and link balloon walls
Grid walls, also called link walls or quick-link walls, use special linking balloons tied into a net so every balloon sits in an even row. That grid lets you lay out a checkerboard, a stripe, a heart or a simple number. The look is sharp and graphic, which makes it a natural fit for team colors and company colors.
Framed balloon walls
Framed walls pack balloons inside a shaped frame: a rectangle, an arch-top chiara or a circle. The outline carries much of the design. An arch-top frame feels elegant, a square frame feels modern and a ring feels playful.
Foil and mylar balloon walls
Foil walls are made from mylar balloons, often hearts, stars or squares in metallic finishes. They throw light around, look great on camera and contain no latex, which matters for guests with allergies and for hospitals, schools and venues that ban latex.
Floating and lighted balloon walls
Floating walls use helium balloons on ribbons anchored in rows, so the whole wall sways a little. They're stunning but short-lived, so we save them for events that last a few hours. For evening parties and New Year's Eve, we can run LED string lights or light-up balloons through any wall.
Photo ideas
Balloon Wall Ideas
The balloon wall styles we build, from full organic walls to crisp grid and foil walls.
Organic balloon wall in dusty rose, mauve and cream behind a cake table
Grid balloon wall in a royal blue and white checkerboard
Foil heart balloon wall in red, pink and rose gold
Square framed balloon wall in pastel colors behind a dessert table
Floating helium balloon wall with ribbons in a ballroom
Black, silver and white balloon wall behind a DJ booth
White and champagne balloon wall with string lights on an enclosed porch
Pastel balloon wall in lavender, butter yellow and white for a baby shower
Sizing
Balloon Wall Sizes and Balloon Counts
Choose the size by the photo you have in mind. An 8×8 ft wall fits six to eight people standing shoulder to shoulder.
| Wall size | Works for | Keep in mind |
|---|---|---|
| 6×6 ft | Couples, small groups, a dessert-table backdrop | Right for condos, studios and restaurant private rooms |
| 8×8 ft | Group photos, or a cake table with guests around it | The size most people choose |
| 8×10 ft | Stages, head tables, step-and-repeat | Needs around 9 ft of ceiling, so measure in vintage apartments |
| Custom widths | Long walls, stages, shop windows | Built in panels and joined on-site |
A grid wall of 11-inch link balloons takes about 1.2–1.5 balloons per square foot, and an organic wall takes two to four times that. Loft venues in the West Loop and Fulton Market usually have the height for tall walls; older apartments often don't. Leave 2–3 ft clear in front for photos.
Pricing
How Much Does a Balloon Wall Cost in Chicago?
Foil walls start at $125, and a full organic balloon wall starts at $595.
| Wall | Starting at |
|---|---|
| Foil (mylar) balloon wall, 8×5 ft | $125 |
| Foil (mylar) balloon wall, 8×10 ft | $225 |
| 8×8 ft foil wall, installed | $325 |
| Grid (link) balloon wall, 8×8 ft | $425 |
| Arch-top framed balloon wall, 6.5–7 ft | $525 |
| Organic balloon wall, 8×8 ft | $595 |
Delivery, setup and pickup are included in the city and inner suburbs.
What changes the price: the wall's size and style (foil and grid cost less than organic), the balloon count, chrome or custom double-stuffed shades, patterns and lettering, extras like marquee numbers, the drive, building access such as a booked freight elevator, and whether we strike it afterward. Send your size and colors and we'll price it exactly.
Uses
Ways to Use a Balloon Wall
A balloon wall pays for its spot because it does more than one job.
Balloon photo wall
The spot for selfies and group shots all night. Add a name in vinyl or a marquee number and there'll be a line.
Dessert and cake table backdrop
Behind the cake it keeps photos tidy and hides whatever's back there, from a kitchen pass-through to a stack of chairs.
Stage and head-table background
For toasts, DJs, award presentations and the wedding party's table.
Branded step-and-repeat
A grid wall in company colors with a logo panel, for launches, galas and booths at convention halls like McCormick Place.
Room divider
Screens off a bar setup, a coat rack or a storage corner in a rented hall or park district field house.
Gender reveal moment
A neutral wall with a pop-out panel, or a wall that's pink or blue on the side you turn around.
Occasions
Balloon Walls for Birthdays, Weddings, Grad Parties and the Holidays
These are the events we build walls for most often.
- Birthdays: kids' parties, 18ths, 21sts and 30ths, often with the age or a name set into the wall.
- Weddings and bridal showers: organic walls in ivory, white or blush behind the sweetheart table or beside the reception entrance.
- Graduations and prom: grid walls in school colors with the class year, plus glam walls for prom photos.
- Gender reveals and baby showers: neutral walls with a reveal built in, and pastel walls for showers.
- Valentine's Day: walls of foil hearts in red, pink and rose gold.
- Christmas and New Year's Eve: red, green and gold walls, and black, gold and silver chrome walls for the countdown.
- Halloween and Easter: pastel walls in spring and orange-and-black walls in October, for school, park district and church events.
- Corporate events: branded walls for openings, galas, holiday parties and conferences.
Installation
How We Set Up a Balloon Wall Without Marking Your Walls
Simple: nothing we build gets attached to your walls.
Every balloon wall we build sits on its own weighted frame. At home that protects paint and old plaster, which tape and glue dots love to pull off. At venues it keeps us within the rules, since most hotel ballrooms, restaurants and event halls in the Loop and River North don't allow tape, nails or adhesive on their walls. A freestanding wall can also be slid a few feet on the day if the room layout changes.
- 1
Measure
We confirm the wall size, the ceiling height, the outlet for any lights, and the route in, including stairs, doors and elevators.
- 2
Build
Big walls come in panels that fit through a standard door or a passenger elevator, then get joined and fluffed on-site until the seams vanish.
- 3
Finish
Vinyl, foil accents and lights go on last, and we check the wall from where the photos will actually be taken.
What's the best way to hang balloons on a wall? Put them on a frame in front of the wall rather than on the wall itself. If you do attach balloons directly, use removable hooks and fishing line instead of tape, and test any adhesive in a hidden spot first.
Longevity
How Long Do Balloon Walls Last?
Indoors and air-filled, a wall lasts for days. A floating helium wall lasts for hours.
Indoors at room temperature, an air-filled organic or grid wall holds its shape for several days and often a full week, and foil walls last longer still. Floating helium walls begin to sag within hours. Outdoors, a wall in July sun oxidizes and pops quickly, and a wall left out in winter shrinks and wrinkles in the cold, so outdoor walls go up the same day, in shade in summer and in a sheltered spot out of the wind any time of year.
Where we work
Balloon Walls Across Chicagoland
We deliver and build balloon walls at homes, venues, schools and offices all over the city and suburbs.
- The Loop, South Loop & StreetervilleHotel ballrooms and condo towers, where dock times, freight-elevator bookings and insurance certificates come first.
- West Loop & Fulton MarketConverted warehouse lofts and rooftop venues with timed load-ins and freight elevators.
- River North & Gold CoastRestaurant private rooms, rooftop lounges and hotel suites, where curbside unloading is tight.
- Lincoln Park, Lakeview & WrigleyvilleTwo-flat and greystone parties, back decks and rooftop decks a few blocks from the lake.
- Logan Square, Wicker Park & BucktownLoft apartments, brewery event rooms and garden-unit backyards.
- Pilsen, Little Village & BridgeportQuinceañeras, baptisms and family parties in banquet halls and church halls.
- Hyde Park & BronzevilleGraduation parties, church fellowship halls and family milestones on the South Side.
- Evanston & SkokieGraduation parties, school events and backyard birthdays just north of the city line.
- Oak Park & Forest ParkPorch arches on older homes, school events and restaurant parties west of Austin Boulevard.
- Cicero & BerwynBanquet halls and big family celebrations, from quinceañeras to first communions.
- Schaumburg & RosemontConvention halls and hotel ballrooms near O'Hare, planned around show and hotel load-in rules.
- Naperville & Oak BrookBig-backyard grad parties, corporate offices and hotel events in the western suburbs.
More balloon decor
Pair Your Wall With More Balloon Decor
Walls look even better with a column on each side and a garland across the top.
Questions
Balloon Walls in Chicago: FAQ
What is a balloon wall?
A freestanding, solid surface of balloons, typically 6 to 10 feet wide, that serves as a photo backdrop, a stage background or the wall behind the dessert table. It can be organic, grid-style, framed or foil.
How much does a balloon wall cost?
Our foil walls start at $125 for 8×5 ft, grid walls at $425 for 8×8 ft and organic walls at $595 for 8×8 ft, with delivery, setup and pickup included. Size, style and extras set the final price.
How long do balloon walls last?
Air-filled walls last several days indoors and often a week. Foil walls last longer. Helium floating walls last a few hours, and walls left outside in hot sun or freezing cold last only hours.
What size balloon wall do I need?
Most people choose 8×8 ft, which fits a group photo or a cake table. A 6×6 ft wall suits small rooms and couples, and 8×10 ft or custom widths suit stages and head tables. Check the ceiling height first.
Will a balloon wall damage my walls?
No. Our walls stand on weighted frames in front of your wall, so no tape, nails or glue ever touch the paint or plaster.
What do you call a wall of linked balloons?
A grid wall or link wall. It's made from linking balloons tied into a net, which keeps them in rows and lets you build patterns, numbers and logos.
Can a balloon wall be latex-free?
Yes. Foil (mylar) walls contain no latex, so they're the right pick for guests with latex allergies and for venues that don't allow latex.
Can a balloon wall include a name or a logo?
Yes. Names go on in custom vinyl, and logos go on a panel set into the wall or get built into a grid wall in your brand colors.
Tell us the date. We'll build the balloon walls.
Send your date, venue and colors and get a written quote with a design plan. Free, and no obligation.