Entrance Arch Hire in Nairobi: Balloon and Loop Arches

Walk-through arch or loop arch?

The balloon arch for an entrance is built over a path. Its two feet stand either side of the way in. Balloons run up one side, across the top and down the other. Guests pass beneath it. At 2.4 m high and 3 m wide, it is KSh 15,000 per setup.

The loop arch backdrop is a continuous ring rather than a straight-topped arch: an open circular frame, dressed with balloons or with flowers, that frames whatever stands inside it. It works from every side. A flat board only faces one way, while a ring suits a ceremony spot, a cake table or the corner where guests pose with friends and family through the evening. It is priced per installation, from KSh 16,000, because the dressing changes with the brief.

Measure the gate first

A walk-through arch needs the full 3 m of clear width where it stands, plus a little room for the bases, and 2.4 m of height under any overhang. Gates vary. Check a gateway, a doorway or a tent opening before booking, and tell us if the path is a driveway that cars will still use during the event. On a lawn or a murram compound, the feet need firm, level ground.

A loop arch stands back from the path rather than over it, so the space to plan is floor area in front for a table or a group of people. Its size is not listed yet; ask, and we tell you the diameter of the frame we will bring.

Outdoors, sun and the night before

Balloons do not like the weather. BloonsUp, a long-running balloon decorating guide, says an air-filled arch can be made the day before, and that outdoors it lasts, in the best case, overnight and through most of the following day; sunlight, heat and humidity all shorten that. Shade helps, so does a tent roof, and so does telling us when your guests arrive, so the arch is fresh for them.

Searchers also ask about an inflatable arch rental. That is a different product, an air-blown arch run by a fan, and it is not on our list. For a sports day or a fun run, the balloon arch is the nearest thing we hire.

A wedding entrance

For a wedding arch rental, the loop arch dressed in flowers is the piece to ask about. If what you picture is a full wall of flowers behind the couple, that is our floral backdrop, and soft fabric framing a doorway comes from the wall draperies and drapes range. A red carpet walkway through the arch finishes the way in, and an easel welcome stand at its side tells guests whose day it is. A balloon arch and an easel stand together come to KSh 22,000 before transport.

Booking an arch

Send the date, the venue, the colours and the width of the entrance. Balloon shades vary a little between makers and batches, so treat a screen colour as a guide. A 50% deposit holds the date, and changes are easiest with 48 hours' notice. For backdrops behind the cake table, see our balloon backdrops; for everything else in the room, event decor hire.

Sources: BloonsUp, balloon-decoration-guide.com (balloon decorating guide), "How long before a birthday party should a balloon arch be made?", read 2026-10-24.