20 Simple DIY Pool Party Decorations Under $30
The most visually impressive pool party setups are not always the most expensive ones. Nor are they too intricate or complicated.
In fact, simple DIY pool party decorations often steal the show. Why? Because they are the ones where the host made a deliberate decision about each element, rather than buying whatever the party supply store had pre-packaged in the holiday section.
Simple DIY pool party decorations earn the compliment not because they are homemade but because they are specific to this party, this theme, and this color palette. Generic commercial decorations can rarely be perfect for the occasion.
The twenty DIY pool party decoration ideas in this article share three characteristics.
- Each one costs under $30 in materials.
- Each one can be assembled by someone with no specialist craft skills.
- Each one looks better in the finished pool party setting than its price tag suggests.
Some of them take five minutes. Some take an hour. All of them are worth the time they require because the result is a party that looks considered rather than assembled — and that distinction is visible to every guest who walks in.
This article covers:
- the five-minute decorations that require almost no preparation,
- the one-hour projects that produce the most impressive visual returns,
- the pool-specific decorations that dress the water rather than just the surrounding space,
- the table decorations that make a food table look styled,
- and the lighting decorations that transform the space after dark
If you are looking for more detailed instructions or local shops to buy the required materials, enlist Marina, your AI pool party specialist inside Splash Bash Pass. She will help you in every way possible.
📣 Splash Bash Pass builds your complete decoration checklist and setup timeline so every DIY project has a place in the plan. Try it free →
Five-Minute Decorations
1. Sand Jar Votives — $8 for twelve
These are really simple DIY pool party decorations that consistently earn the most compliments relative to the effort involved.
What you need: Clean glass jars (mason jars, pasta jars, any clear glass jar), craft sand in your palette color, small shells and starfish from a craft store, tea light candles — real or flameless.
How to make it: Fill each jar two-thirds with craft sand. Press two or three shells into the surface. Place a tea light on top. Done.
Where to use it: Along the pool edge, the food table, the fence rail, the entry path. A row of twelve sand jar votives along the pool edge costs $8 in materials and photographs as a professional styling installation.
The flameless option: For a pool area where open flames near water or children are a concern, battery-operated LED tea lights create an identical visual effect with no safety risk.
2. Balloon Cluster Weights — $5 for eight
A balloon cluster that is tethered to a weighted base looks professional. A balloon cluster tied to a chair leg looks amateur.
What you need: Clear glass jars or small acrylic vases, craft sand or pebbles to fill them as weights, ribbon or curling ribbon in your palette color, latex balloons.
How to make it: Fill each jar with sand or pebbles to weight it. Inflate three to five balloons per cluster in palette colors. Tie each balloon to a length of ribbon. Tie all ribbons together and anchor to the weighted jar. Place at the food table ends, the entry point, the pool fence corners.
Cost: Balloons from a dollar store or Amazon are approximately $3 for a pack of 50. Sand and jars add another $2. Each weighted cluster costs under $1 in materials.
3. Watermelon Pops — $6
This DIY pool party decoration is also a food item, requiring no craft skill whatsoever.
What you need: One large watermelon, small cookie cutters in star, flower, or heart shapes, and wooden popsicle sticks.
How to make it: Cut the watermelon into 1-inch thick rounds. Use cookie cutters to cut shapes from each round. Insert a popsicle stick into the base of each shape. Arrange on a board as a display that guests can take from throughout the afternoon.
The visual: Bright pink watermelon shapes on white popsicle sticks arranged on a dark board reads as a styled food display. It belongs on the food table as both a decoration and a snack.
4. Citrus Garland — $8
A garland of dried citrus rounds hanging from the pergola or fence line adds a natural, warm-toned decoration element that holds perfectly in outdoor summer conditions.
What you need: Lemons, limes, oranges, and/or grapefruits, twine, a needle or awl, and an oven.
How to make it: Slice citrus into 1/4 inch thick rounds. Place on a baking rack and dry in an oven at 90°C for three to four hours, turning once. When fully dried, thread onto twine using a needle, alternating citrus varieties for color variation. Hang between fence posts or along the pergola.
Lead time: This decoration requires the drying time of three to four hours, plus cooling time. Make it two days before the party.
The visual: A citrus garland has a warm, organic quality that no manufactured garland replicates. It is the decoration that most consistently makes guests ask where it came from.
5. Ribbon Wand Clusters — $4
Lengths of ribbon in palette colors are tied together at one end and attached to the fence, pool rail, or pergola post. In a breeze, they move exactly like streamers — but at a fraction of the cost and in whatever color combination the party requires.
What you need: Ribbon rolls in two to three palette colors (satin or grosgrain works better than sheer in outdoor conditions), scissors, a zip tie, or staple to attach to the surface.
How to make it: Cut ribbons into 20 to 30-inch lengths, approximately fifteen ribbons per cluster. Bundle together and tie at one end. Attach the tied end to the fence post or pergola with a zip tie or a staple. Fan the ribbon ends outward so they hang freely.
Cost: A ribbon roll from a craft or dollar store costs $1 to $3 per roll and yields enough for four to five clusters. A decoration that covers the full fence line costs under $15 in materials.
One-Hour Projects
6. Organic Balloon Garland — $15 to $25
The most impactful DIY pool party decoration available. An organic balloon garland installed above the food table transforms the table from a food surface into the focal point of the party.
What you need: 80 to 100 latex balloons in three to four palette colors, a balloon garland strip (available from Amazon or craft stores for approximately $5), balloon glue dots or fishing line for attachment, a hand or electric pump.
How to make it: Inflate balloons to varying sizes — approximately one-third at full inflation, one-third at three-quarter inflation, and one-third at half inflation. The size variation is what creates the organic, dimensional look.
Attach balloons to the garland strip using the glue dots. Build the strip in sections, clustering balloons in color groups and filling gaps with the smallest balloons. Attach the completed strip to the wall, fence, or a freestanding stand.
Time: First-time builders typically take ninety minutes. With practice or with a helper, sixty minutes is achievable.
The key insight: More balloons always look better than fewer. A garland that looks sparse is almost always the result of under-inflating rather than under-buying. Fill every gap.
7. Paper Fan Backdrop — $15
A large backdrop of tissue paper fans in the palette colors arranged on a foam board or pinned directly to a fence. From a camera distance, it photographs as a professional installation.
What you need: Tissue paper in two to three palette colors (one pack of each color), a foam board or fabric panel as the base, pins, or double-sided tape.
How to make it: Accordion-fold each sheet of tissue paper in 1-inch folds, crease, fold in half, and open into a fan shape. A single sheet of tissue paper creates one fan.
Make fans in varying sizes by using one, two, or three sheets per fan. Arrange on the board in an overlapping pattern, mixing colors and sizes. Secure each fan with a pin through the center fold.
Scale guidance: A 2 ft by 3 ft backdrop requires approximately 20 to 25 fans. A full 4 ft by 6 ft backdrop requires 40 to 50 fans.
Lead time: Make fans in advance and store them flat. Install on the party day.
8. Floating Floral Crown Display — $20
A wreath of silk flowers and greenery hung from the pergola or fence as a statement wall piece, or floated on the pool surface as a floating decoration.
What you need: A grapevine or foam wreath form (from a craft store, approximately $5), silk flowers and greenery in palette colors, a hot glue gun, and glue sticks.
How to make it: Hot-glue silk flowers and greenery to the wreath form, covering it completely. Concentrate the flowers on one section — the bottom third — for a natural cascade effect rather than uniform coverage.
Hang from a hook on the fence or pergola, or float on the pool surface by placing it flat on the water.
The pool version: A wreath floating on a lit pool at dusk with floating LED candles inside it is one of the most atmospheric pool party decorations available. The cost is under $20. The effect is extraordinary.
9. Driftwood and Shell Mobile — $15
A hanging mobile made from driftwood, shells, and rope that creates a natural, coastal decoration element suited to beach, mermaid, ocean, and tropical pool party themes.
What you need: A piece of driftwood (from a beach, a craft store, or an online seller, approximately $5), real shells in varying sizes, fishing line or thin rope, a drill or awl for making hanging holes.
How to make it: Drill or pierce small holes in the tops of the shells. Cut fishing line into varying lengths — 6 to 15 inches. Thread one shell per length and tie to prevent it from sliding off.
Tie the free end of each line to the driftwood at varying intervals. Hang the driftwood from two points with equal-length rope so it sits level.
The visual: A driftwood mobile hung from a pergola beam above the food table or beside the pool edge moves gently in the breeze. It is one of the few decorations that is more beautiful in person than in a photograph because the movement is part of its appeal.
10. Tropical Leaf Table Runner — $12
A natural table runner made from large fresh tropical leaves — monstera, banana leaf, palm frond — laid directly along the food table surface with flowers or decorative items placed between the leaves.
What you need: Large tropical leaves from a grocery store florist section, a floral market, or a specialty produce market. Flowers in the palette color for placement between leaves.
How to make it: Lay leaves along the center of the table in an overlapping line, green side up. Fill the gaps between leaves with individual flower blooms or small fruit. The leaves are the runner — nothing else is required.
Cost: Monstera leaves at a grocery store cost approximately $2 to $4 per stem. Five to seven stems cover a standard 6-foot table. Banana leaves from an Asian grocery market are even more affordable.
The consideration: Fresh leaves will begin to show slight curling at the edges after three to four hours outdoors. For a party that runs longer than four hours, prepare replacement leaves in advance or use high-quality silk tropical leaves as an alternative.
If you are looking for more detailed instructions or local shops to buy the required materials, enlist Marina, your AI pool party specialist inside Splash Bash Pass. She will help you in every way possible.
📣 Splash Bash Pass builds your complete decoration checklist and setup timeline so every DIY project has a place in the plan. Try it free →
11. Glitter Dipped Balloons — $10
Standard latex balloons half-dipped in loose glitter for a metallic, textured finish that reads as more designed than a standard balloon at minimal additional cost.
What you need: Latex balloons in white or a light palette color, loose fine glitter in gold, silver, or an accent color, a shallow tray, craft glue diluted 50/50 with water.
How to make it: Inflate the balloon. Brush the lower half with diluted craft glue using a paintbrush. Working over the tray, pour glitter generously over the glued section. Tap off excess. Allow to dry for twenty minutes before handling.
The display: Cluster three to five glitter-dipped balloons together, tether to a weighted base, and position at the food table ends. The glitter catches the light differently throughout the afternoon as the sun moves.
Outdoor note: Glitter-dipped balloons are slightly more fragile than standard balloons. Handle gently and keep away from sharp surfaces.
Pool Decorations
12. Petal and Float Arrangement — $10
One of the most effective and simple DIY pool party decorations. Fresh flower petals scattered across the water surface between two or three themed floats.
What you need: One bag of fresh rose petals from a wholesale florist or a grocery store florist section (approximately $5 for a large bag), two to three pool floats suited to the party theme.
How to make it: Position the floats on the water. Scatter the petals across the water surface around and between the floats. Done. The whole process takes three minutes.
The visual: Vivid pink or white petals floating on clear blue pool water reads as professionally styled from every angle. In photographs, it looks as if a lot of preparation was involved. Of course, it was not.
Timing: Do the petal scatter immediately before guests arrive — petals begin to darken after thirty to forty-five minutes in chlorinated water. For a party that runs for four hours, scatter a second round of fresh petals at the two-hour mark.
13. Waterproof Hanging Lanterns — $18
Waterproof paper lanterns or purpose-built outdoor hanging lanterns strung between fence posts above the pool. With battery-powered LED lights inside each lantern, they glow from late afternoon and transform the pool area after dark.
What you need: Waterproof hanging lanterns or outdoor-rated paper lanterns in palette colors (available from craft stores and online), battery-powered LED fairy lights or individual LED lights for inside each lantern, and thin rope or fishing line for stringing.
How to make it: Insert the LED light into each lantern. String the fishing line between the two fence posts above the pool at the desired height. Hang each lantern at even intervals along the line.
The evening effect: As the afternoon light fades, the glowing lanterns above the pool create the kind of atmospheric lighting that string lights alone do not produce — the diffused glow from each lantern point creates a warm, enclosed feeling above the water.
14. Floating Candle Arrangement — $8
Flameless floating candles arranged in a pattern on the pool surface — particularly effective for an evening or night pool party, or for any party that runs into the golden hour.
What you need: Flameless floating LED candles (standard real candles are not suitable for pool use — they extinguish quickly in the water and create a wax cleanup problem), a few floating flower decorations as visual anchors.
How to make it: Place the LED candles on the water surface. They are buoyant by design and float naturally. Add two or three floating silk or foam flower decorations at intervals. The candles will drift gently — this is part of the effect rather than a problem to be solved.
Cost: Flameless floating candles are available in packs of twelve for approximately $8 on Amazon. They are reusable across multiple parties.
15. Pool Noodle Ring Toss Set — $6
A decoration that is also an activity. Pool noodles bent into rings and secured with connectors or strong tape, tossed over a standing pool noodle anchored at the pool edge.
What you need: Four to five pool noodles in palette colors, pool noodle connectors (available from pool supply stores for approximately $2 each), or strong waterproof tape.
How to make it: Bend one noodle into a ring and secure it with a connector or tape. Repeat for three rings.
Cut one noodle to approximately 2-feet length. Weight or anchor this piece so it stands vertically at the pool edge as the target. Players stand at the pool edge and toss the rings over the standing noodle.
The dual function: In use, it is a game. When not in active use, it is a color decoration element at the pool edge. Either way, it belongs there.
Table Decorations
16. Herb and Fruit Centerpiece — $12
A centerpiece built from items that would otherwise be on the food table — fresh herbs in small glass jars, whole lemons and limes arranged in a bowl, a few fresh flowers from the grocery store florist.
What you need: Three small glass jars or bud vases, fresh herbs (rosemary, mint, basil, lavender), a small bowl, whole citrus fruit in palette colors, two to three flower stems.
How to make it: Fill each jar with water and stand the herb stems inside. Arrange the jars in a cluster. Fill the small bowl with citrus fruit. Place the flower stems among the jars. The whole arrangement takes five minutes.
The advantage: This centerpiece is also food. The herbs can be used for garnishes. The citrus can be sliced for drinks. Nothing is purely decorative — everything serves a second function.
17. Chalkboard Food Label Set — $5
Small chalkboard labels or cards positioned in front of each dish on the food table. The label details that transform a food table from functional to styled.
What you need: Small chalkboard cards (pre-made packs from a craft store or cut from a piece of chalkboard contact paper), chalk or a chalk marker, and small wooden picks or card holders.
How to make it: Write each dish name on a label using a chalk marker. Position each label in front of its dish using a pick or a card holder. For a party theme, use a colored chalk marker in the accent color rather than white.
Why it matters: Every food table photograph includes the labels. A label in the right font in the palette accent color is visible in every image and communicates that the host thought about the details. A bare food table with unnamed dishes does not produce the same impression.
18. Tin Can Lanterns — $6
Recycled tin cans with holes pierced in a pattern, placed over LED tea lights as decorative lanterns for the food table or the pool edge.
What you need: Clean tin cans (soup can size), a hammer, a nail or awl, and LED tea lights.
How to make it: Fill each can with water and freeze solid (this prevents the can from denting when pierced). Use a hammer and nail to pierce a pattern of holes in the side of the frozen can.
Allow to thaw and drain. Place an LED tea light inside. The light shines through the pierced pattern.
Lead time: The freezing step requires the cans to be prepared twenty-four hours before the party.
Cost: Zero for the cans (recycled), approximately $4 for LED tea lights if not already owned.
Lighting Decorations
19. String Light Canopy — $20 to $28
String lights run from fence post to fence post above the pool deck, creating the decoration that does more atmospheric work than any other single element — particularly after dark.
What you need: Two or more strands of outdoor-rated fairy lights or Edison bulb string lights (approximately $10 to $15 per 30-foot strand), an outdoor extension cord if needed, and hooks or staples for attachment.
How to make it: Attach a hook at each fence post at the desired height — approximately 10-12 feet- to create a canopy effect rather than a high, distant line. Run the string lights from hook to hook in a slight dip between anchor points. Connect to power.
The result: String lights overhead are the single highest-impact-per-dollar decoration at any outdoor pool party. The reflection of the lights in the pool surface doubles their visual effect at no additional cost.
Safety note: Use outdoor-rated lights only — indoor fairy lights are not rated for outdoor use and should not be used near water.
20. Mason Jar Lantern Cluster — $15
Six to eight mason jars filled with citrus rounds, fresh herbs or flowers, and water, with an LED light placed inside each one, clustered on the food table or arranged along the pool edge.
What you need: Six to eight mason jars, thin citrus rounds (lemon, lime, orange), fresh herbs or flowers, LED submersible lights or LED tea lights, water.
How to make it: Fill each jar two-thirds with water. Slide thin citrus rounds against the inside glass of the jar — they will stay against the glass rather than floating. Add a sprig of fresh herb. Place an LED light inside. Cluster the jars together in groups of three to four.
The evening effect: As the afternoon light fades, the LED lights inside the water-and-citrus jars glow warmly. The citrus rounds are visible through the lit water in the same way stained glass is visible from the outside.
The effect at dusk is one of the most beautiful and most photographed pool party details available at any budget.
Cost: $15 covers the jars (if not already owned), citrus from the grocery store, and a pack of LED lights.
Making It Work: Assembly Timeline
Three days before: Dry the citrus garland. Make balloon garland components if building in sections.
Two days before: Make the tin can lanterns (freezing step). Source all craft materials.
The day before: Build the balloon garland. Make paper fans and assemble the backdrop. Assemble the driftwood mobile. Set up any structural elements that do not require day-of freshness.
Morning of: Fresh leaf table runner. Herb and fruit centerpiece. Balloon cluster weights.
One hour before: Pool petal scatter. Floating candle placement. String light test (turn on to confirm all are working before guests arrive).
Immediately before guests arrive: Final petal scatter over the pool. Tea lights are lit or switched on. All labels in place.
Simple DIY Pool Party Decorations That Earn the Response
The DIY pool party decoration that earns the response — the photograph, the question about where it came from, the compliment after the fact — is seldom the most expensive element in the setup.
It is the sand jar votives glowing at the pool edge as the sun goes down. The citrus garland moving in the breeze from the pergola beam. The mason jar lanterns clustered on the food table with the citrus visible through the lit water.
Each of these costs under $15 to make. Each of them requires less than an hour of preparation time.
And each of them produces the specific kind of visual that a commercially manufactured party decoration cannot — because it was made for this party, on this afternoon, with this palette.
That specificity is what the compliment is actually about. Not the decoration itself. The fact that someone cared enough to make it specific.
For the complete pool party decoration guide that these DIY elements belong within, the pool party decorations guide covers every decoration category from balloons to tablecloths to pool floats.
For the budget-first planning approach that these ideas are built around, the pool party on a budget guide covers every cost category across the full party plan.
🎨 Let Marina Build Your Decoration Plan
DIY decoration checklist, setup timeline, theme-specific color direction, and a complete party plan — Splash Bash Pass coordinates every decoration decision so nothing is left out and nothing is assembled in the wrong order. Use the app to find local craft supply stores near you.
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