Children come over without being called and watch their request come to life. Versatile enough for almost any space, theme, and pace. What to expect before you book one.
The day is about your child, and about making them feel special. Balloon twisting does that twice over — first watching their own design take shape, which is half the entertainment, and then playing with it proudly for the rest of the party. The birthday kid usually gets the extra special one. And when a venue has rules about the entertainment, this is usually the one they still say yes to.
Our balloon artists finish 20 designs an hour, guaranteed, twisting up all kinds of creations — animals, characters, superheroes, and wearable crowns. Our twisters are able to boost the quality of the designs at any time; just note that the number of designs per hour will be lower when they do, so we usually save the extra special design for the birthday kid unless the party size is smaller. A good way to note speed is the number of balloons that are being used to create the design. The more balloons used, the more time it takes, or if there is a face to draw, that adds time as well. We bring a curated menu of popular designs to keep the timing on track, but the twisters can take requests off menu as well.
Our twisters bring a curated menu of popular designs and take requests off menu as well, so it is worth telling us your theme when you book. We always ask clients to send in photos of what they have in mind, so the designs match what you are picturing, and so the artist can tell you ahead of the day if a request is one of the ones that uses more balloons and takes longer.
Children gather around the twister and watch their request come to life in front of them, or guess what a design is going to be before it is finished. That watching is entertainment on its own, and it is part of what you are booking, not just the balloon they walk away with. The colorful nature of a bag full of assorted balloons and the quick transformation of a deflated balloon expanding in front of their eyes is a visual that draws the kids’ attention more quickly than calling out their names.
Every other service we offer needs the guest in front of the artist — face painting, glitter tattoos, nails, caricatures, hairspray, all of them. Balloon twisting does not. A child gives their order and runs off, and a mom can put the order in for the one who will not come out of the bounce house at all. If your guests are arriving late, the artist starts anyway and sets the finished balloons aside to hand out as people come in. That is why we usually suggest starting balloon twisting first: it is the one service where a slow start costs you nothing.
Balloons have no real endpoint like face painting, where it really is one face or as much space as they have on their arms. The same child can leave with a crown, a jetpack, and a sword and shield all made from balloons. And if there is still time on the clock, the designs simply get grander — instead of a simple Spider-Man, they can get the giant Spider-Man with the six-pack muscles to match, or instead of a simple princess crown, a wearable unicorn headpiece. So you can book more than the one-hour minimum without second-guessing your guest count. If the line clears, the designs get bigger, and the artist never has to stop. And don’t count out the adults who love to join in on the fun!
Some venues have decided for you before you book anything. Restaurants are the common one — a formal birthday party or a dance in a private room, where they are ok with entertainment but nothing they would call a mess. Face paint, handprint painting, and glitter tattoos sometimes get a quick “No” because of smudges, glitter, drips, or whatever the wording is on their contract. It is rarely what would actually happen, but no amount of explaining changes things because the rule is the rule.
Or maybe the venue isn’t the problem, but at a dressier party it may be the parents quietly steering their little ones away from the face painting chair because of the outfit or the photo op “risk”. A balloon Disney princess though, rarely gets the same “no”.
Every other service needs one small table and two chairs per artist, but balloon twisters are on their feet instead, so what they need from you is just a bit of floor space. It also means the artist can come to your guests rather than waiting for your guests to come to them. At a seated meal, a balloon can be handed to a child at their table while everyone is still eating. It can even be a way to get them to sit still and eat.
Only three of our services send a guest home with a keepsake: caricatures, handprint paintings, and balloon twisting. Only one of those is fun to play with and continues the party for the drive home. And a balloon can go home for the sibling who had to stay home sick and missed the whole party.
Most of what ends a balloon early can be planned around. Three things worth knowing:
Not all artists have the trunk space for it, and badly weighted shade equipment is a liability. Most companies charge extra for all of their equipment and shade, and that is why. We just ask our clients to handle the shade part, and we will handle the rest.
It protects their hearing, and it protects their ability to chat with your guests while they work. Balloon twisting is a talkative service — children tell the artist what they want and the artist has time to interact while they are twisting up their designs — so being able to hear each other is part of the job.
Balloons suit most events, but three things are worth a think first:
Birthday parties, school events, city and community events, and company parties across Orange County, Los Angeles, and the Inland Empire. It pairs naturally with face painting, since the two move at the same speed and serve the same crowd.
We kindly ask that your sole responsibility is to provide artists with shade, out of direct sunlight during the daytime, and a well-lit area for the night events. Heat exhaustion can be dangerous any time of year and the UV rays can lead to sun damage of supplies. For example, if you are getting balloon twisting, the UV rays will lead to major popping.
Lastly, please avoid putting the artists next to loudspeakers to protect their hearing and their ability to interact with your guests.
It also depends on which service it is, because each one draws a different part of your guest list. Nearly every child wants face painting, so that one is worth a crowd: about a third of your guests is plenty to get a line going. Caricatures draw the adults as well, so a family of four can be four caricature guests. Henna is mostly for the teens and the adult women.
There seems to always be guests coming over an hour into the party, and if your artists start at the beginning, those guests will walk in right as the artist is leaving. You never need everyone there, but you do not want to lose hired time by starting before their arrival. We go through all eight services, and what order each service should go in →
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