Summer birthdays often mean throwing a pool birthday party so everyone can have fun and stay cool! Luckily, a pool instantly makes for a great party but these ideas will help you take it to the next level.
Keep reading for the best balloons for a pool party, what to serve for food and drink and what activities to do if you want a break from the heat! The good news is, these are all quite easy ways to help you make your swim bash even more epic.
The Best Balloons for a Pool Birthday Party
My number one party tip is focus on one big “statement” item. In this case, it’s going to be the pool! Balloons are a way to make a huge, but budget friendly, impact at your birthday pool party becuase you can float them in the pool! Alongside pool floats, they add so much color and that festive spirit.
A couple packs of bright latex balloons make a HUGE impact. Here’s a list of pool party balloons to consider:
- Bright latex balloons
- Bright large 18″ round balloons
- Gold “Yay!” script balloon
- Gold “Happy Birthday” script balloon
- Pink script “Party” balloon
- Unicorn balloon
- Watermelon balloon
- Pineapple balloon
- Flamingo balloon
- Palm tree balloon
- Disco ball balloon
Birthday Party Pool Floats
No pool party is complete without some fun pool floats! Provide some festive pool floats for guests to float around on, or invite them to bring a favorite of their own!
Did you know you can even turn a pool float into a floating cooler? That way, nobody has to even get out of the pool to grab a refreshing drink.
These pool floats are great for your party, and any beach or pool days long after, too!
- Flamingo pool float
- Unicorn pool float
- Rainbow pool float
- Rainbow pool tube
- Donut pool float
- Ice cream pool float
- Mermaid tail pool tube
- Glitter pool tube
An inflatable rainbow sprinkler makes a really fun backdrop for birthday photos placed next to the pool, too!
Pool Birthday Party Desserts & Drinks
I always recommend keeping food simple: order in pizza or fire up the BBQ. If you’d like make your own fun burger wrappers! Then, have a lot of fun with some refreshing cold treats for dessert!
Consider having a snow cone bar! A snow cone machine is something you’ll use every summer for years to come, so it’s a great investment.
Then, offer a few different colors or flavors, and a variety of fun sprinkles.
Serve them in these colorful snow cone cups with cute swirly straws! Here’s our recipe for rainbow snow cones!
Gumball popsicles are so nostalgic! Did you know you can make your own? Get the recipe and gumball popsicle tutorial right here.
If you’d still like to have a classic birthday “cake” try making this cake that looks like a popsicle, a La Croix cake or cabana stripe cake to stay on theme!
If it’s an adult birthday party, serve up some frosé juice pouches at the bar, too!
Poolside Birthday Activities
From the perfect pool birthday party playlist to fun projects to try when you need a break from the sun, check out these poolside birthday activities and ideas!
Music is essential for an outdoor pool party! We’ve created the most epic pool party playlist.
If you’re looking for an unexpected activity, try a DIY sunglasses station! Guests can escape the heat and decorate some sunnies. Here’s our tutorials for rainbow sunglasses, watermelon sunglasses and donut sunglasses.
You could also do a friendship bracelet station. Friendship bracelets feel like so nostalgic in the summer!
Find some budget-friendly straw hats and decorate them with craft paint! You can turn the hat into a watermelon hat, donut hat or cactus hat, or even just a fun rainbow striped option!
Have a balloon volleyball match in the pool! How long can you keep it in the air for?
And of course, spend a lot of time floating on those floats enjoying drinks from the flamingo cooler!
What To Wear to a Pool Party
Here’s a few fun DIY ideas of what to wear to a pool party, along with your bathing suit of course!
- DIY Donut Caftan
- DIY Watermelon Floppy Hat
- Five DIY Sandal Hacks (+ A Video!)
- How To Upgrade Basic Shorts with Fringe
Photos by Jeff Mindell
Creative Direction: Kelly Mindell | Art Direction & Styling: Cyn Moreno
Food Styling: Theresa Rountree | Production Manager: Samantha Martin
Models: Jenna | Cortney | Tisha | Leslie
Use these tips to throw the most epic pool birthday party ever, while keeping it simple and doing so on any budget!
Maui says
This is soooo amazing!!!! Gaahhh super fun!!!
Kelly says
Thanks Maui!!
Michelle says
This looks so, so epic and cool! Wow!
https://www.makeandmess.com/
Kelly says
Thanks Michelle!
Chelsey says
HO. LY. CRAP. This is the MOST epic thing I’ve ever seen!!!! You guys crushed it!!!
Kelly says
Thanks Chelsey!!
Terrell says
This is beyond FUN!!! I love all the shapes and textures – what a great way to style a summer pool bash! Where did the assorted colored glasses come from on the shelves of the drink station? They’re precious!!
Kelly says
Hi Terrell! Thanks so much! The glasses are actually all from Cyn’s (@hotpinkpineapples) personal vintage collection, but Etsy is a great place to find similar pieces!
Chelsea says
HOW FUN! This looks amazing! Y’all are definitely troopers for battling that Palm Springs heat! Awesome job!
Kelly says
Thanks Chelsea! It’s hard to complain about the heat when you’re surrounded by this much color + fun!
Amanda J. says
WOWWWW. Looks awesome! How long does a latex balloon last in a pool and in the sun?! Regardless, these pics are awesome, and it looks like so much fun. If only I had a pool!!!!
Kelly says
Since we were shooting in Palm Springs it was over 100 degrees and VERY sunny, but they still lasted about 4-5 hours. Balloons expand in the heat so a tip is to not fill them all the way up so that when they expand more they wont pop! In “normal” heat, they would probably last twice as long!
Jackie says
This looks so fun! I love all the bright colors and having it as a pool party is just perfect for the Summer! So cool!!
Kelly says
Ah! Thanks Jackie!
Les says
Ahhh!!!!!
This is AMAZING!!!!!
I can’t wait to see the rest!!!!
Kelly says
Thanks!! We had so much fun shooting it!
Amy says
You. Guys. RULE!!! The most epic bash ever! So excited for the rest—you guys are KILLIN’ it!!
Kelly says
Thanks Amy! Stay tuned because it just gets better and better!
Katterfox says
These are the happiest pictures I have ever seen!
Kelly says
Yay! That’s what we were hoping for!
Jalee // artfuldays says
Best. Party. Ever!! You girls look like you’re having such a blast. I saw on Instagram that you’ll be coming to my state soon! Where will you be here in Texas!?? SO wish I could join in on the fun!!
Kelly says
I was just there this past weekend! We were in Round Top!
Cayla says
Wow this is like a total rainbow party dream! LOVE IT!
Kelly says
Yes! Thanks Cayla!
LirioNohemy says
SO FUN! I kinda want to do a mini version of this with my inflatable pool Lol! I wont need that many balloons or pool floats I guess.. Ha! 🙊 Also, those sprinkle snow cones! 😍😍😍
Kelly says
The snow cones were SO good! Especially on a hot day! Recipe coming soon!
Amanda says
Holy crap! This is the happiest thing I’ve ever seen! I may have to scroll through this post daily just to get a happy buzz. 😃
Kelly says
Ha! I love that! Thanks Amanda!!
Indya | TheSmallAdventurer says
Oh my gosh! This looks like the most fun EVER! Looks like you guys had such a great time whilst
working 😄
http://www.thesmalladventurer.blogspot.com.au/
Kelly says
We did!! Glad you love it!
Paige Flamm says
So many fun details! You did an incredible job on this party!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
Sean Mahan says
This is just the idea I needed, we’re gonna throw a pool party in a couple of weeks and this is perfect! You guys killed with that decor, btw! Amazing!
Terry says
It’s amazing! My grandsons will go crazy for it! How do you keep the balloons from floating away? Thankyou
Tran Nguyen says
Where did all these awesome bathing suits come from?
Bea says
Oh my I LOVE THIS so much !!! This is beautiful, colorful and so perfect!!
Jo Smith says
I love the photos so much! Such a perfect pool party.
Lea elui says
This is soooooo cute like xoxo. Give me a shout out plzzzzz!
Helen says
This is just perfect! I did attempt to do something similar for my daughter’s pool party this past weekend, but the balloons did not hold.
The foil balloons lost part of their color and opened/deflated, shortly after being placed in the pool. My pool has a salt water system, so keep that in mind before you spend on all the balloons. Or perhaps throw them out a few seconds before the start of the party and get your pics fast!!
No luck either with the latex balloons, perhaps the Miami heat did not help.
Thanks for the beautiful idea and pics. It was all still fun planning and overall.
Tina Byrd says
This is the EXACT vision my daughter presented to me for her 30th pool bash in Aug. I’m taking notes! i’m having difficulty finding those colors in pool floats. She specifically said neon. Any suggestions?
Mel says
Where did the party pool float come from?