How To Make a Confetti Cannon

A confetti cannon makes a thrilling addition to your party, whether hosting a child’s birthday celebration, a gender reveal for a new baby or a wedding reception. If you have the time and desire to craft, constructing confetti cannons at home can be a satisfying project.

If you’re wondering how to make a DIY confetti cannon, we have three methods to consider.

DIY Confetti Popper

How To Make Confetti Cannons for a Child’s Birthday Party

Calling all kids! This version is easy enough for little hands to assemble themselves with adult supervision. Kids learn through creative endeavors and play, so we recommend inviting partygoers to make their own party favors.

What You Need:

  • Balloons
  • Scissors
  • Used toilet paper tube (or trimmed paper towel tube)
  • Tape (transparent and packing)
  • Decorative paper (or wrapping paper)
  • Colored tissue or construction paper (or both)
  • Small rubber band
  • Optional: Glue dots
  • Optional: Stickers and markers

How To Make It:  

  1. Tie a knot at the end of a deflated balloon.
  2. Cut off the top of the balloon to create a cap to slip over the end of your paper tube.
  3. After you stretch the balloon (where you clipped) over the end of the paper tube, use your packing tape to tape the balloon onto the tube.
  4. This is where you can have some fun and decorate and customize the look of your confetti cannon.
  5. Trim your wrapping paper to fit around the tube and use your scotch tape to tape it onto the tube. You can also use markers, stickers, or other embellishments on the outside of the tube as well.
  6. Next take your confetti and small cut-out pieces of colored tissue paper to fill the open end of your paper tube cannon, half full. The smaller, heavier confetti will launch further than the paper.
  7. Take your tissue paper square and cut it into a circle. This is now going to be what keeps your confetti inside the tube of your cannon. Once you cover the open end of your cannon, use your rubber band to secure it around the top and to keep the tissue paper in place.
  8. When you’re ready to launch the confetti, you can use two different methods. You can either remove the tissue paper lid on one end, pulling back the tab of the balloon to shoot the confetti up into the air. Or you can leave it on and pull back on the balloon multiple times until the paper shoots up into the air by itself and releases the confetti.

Pro Tip: Make your confetti party craft even better by complementing it with rainbow confetti cupcakes and a circus, unicorn, outer space, or rainbow theme.

 

How To Make Gender Reveal Confetti Cannons

Let’s say you want to elevate your design, as you’ve seen some pretty cool gender reveal confetti cannons built to impress a crowd. If you have a daddy-to-be or another family member who is mechanically inclined and always up for a challenge, this project is one for the memory books.

What You Need:

  • 4” diameter PVC pipe
  • 2” diameter PVC pipe
  • 2-4” PVC pipe adapter fitting
  • 2” PVC cap fitting
  • PVC primer
  • PVC cement
  • 2” ball valve
  • Pressure gauge
  • Male air tank valve
  • Plumber’s tape
  • Pink or blue tissue paper (cut into small confetti pieces)

Tools:

  • Hacksaw
  • Drill
  • Wrench
  • Bike pump

How To Make It:  

  1. Using a hack saw, cut one piece of 2x20” PVC pipe to make the body of the air tank.
    Cut another 2x4” piece of PVC pipe to connect the ball valve to the adapter fitting.
    Cut a 4x6” piece of PVC pipe to hold the confetti.
  2. Outside in a well-ventilated space, dry-fit the pieces together to check the shape before applying a coat of purple PVC primer to all connecting surfaces, following the instructions on the primer. More than one coat may be necessary. After applying the cement, quickly stick the parts together and ¼ turn the pieces, holding them together for 30 seconds to hold. Let these pieces sit and fully cure.
  3. Drill a hole in the side of the PVC pipe to mount the pressure gauge near the ball valve.
    Re-drill the hole with larger bits until it’s slightly smaller than the pressure gauge fitting, as you want it to fit tightly in place, so it doesn’t blow out when the tank is pressurized. Screw in the pressure gauge using a wrench screw. Attach the air valve using the same method.
  4. Close the ball valve, then connect your bike pump to the air valve to pressurize the air tank. Carefully pump air into the tank until you reach the desired pressure.
  5. Fill the barrel with lightweight paper confetti colored pink (girl) or blue (boy). Tape or rubber-band a thin piece of tissue paper over the opening, so the confetti doesn’t spill out before you’re ready for the reveal.
  6. Remove the end covering, aiming the cannon high into the air. Quickly open the ball valve to release the contents in a short-range burst of widely-dispersed color.

Pro Tip: Always use caution when working with a tank of compressed air. While most tanks are rated at 80 PSI, keep your tank below 40 PSI to stay safe. Also, you’ll want to make sure the confetti is pointed toward the sky and not near anyone’s face.

How To Make Wedding Confetti Cannons

Many people choose to deploy confetti cannons when the couple leaves the church ceremony, when they first enter the reception hall, or at the end of the night for a proper send-off. You should make enough for the wedding party and a few guests of honor (like siblings and parents) to produce a dramatic effect that makes for excellent photographs.

What You Need:

  • Toilet paper tubes
  • Colorful scrapbook paper
  • Scissors
  • Balloons
  • Packing tape
  • Glue dots or hot glue them
  • Large flake glitter, shaped confetti, and sequins

How To Make It:  

  1. Tie a knot at the end of the balloon and cut off the top.
  2. Pull the balloon taut over the toilet paper tube and tightly secure with packing tape.
  3. Cover the tube exterior with pretty scrapbook paper, securing with hot glue or dots.
  4. Add two tablespoons of confetti to the inside of the tube, and store upright.
  5. When the time comes, simply grab and pull the knot to release confetti into the air.

Pro Tip: For a wedding, you’ll want something more elegant on the exterior, so the type of covering you choose is important. Visit the craft shop to peruse their selection of high-quality, decorative papers.

Bonus Tip: You might also consider giving every guest a confetti cannon as a favor—but, depending on the size of your party, it may be more time and cost effective to purchase pre-made wedding confetti cannons.

Where To Find Biodegradable Confetti Cannons Online

Making your own confetti cannons can be enjoyable and rewarding but also a lot of work—especially if you want to use them as a party favor for many guests. I Love Sparklers has a wide range of confetti cannons in various sizes, colors, and quantities (including individual or bulk orders)—and we ship fast from Magnolia, TX.

Choose from:

  • Biodegradable confetti cannons – for easy, earth-friendly cleanup
  • Shiny mylar confetti and streamer cannons – for great photos in low-light conditions
  • Powder and confetti cannons – for a huge cloud of color along with swirling confetti

 

Ourcannons work using a surprising “pop” of compressed air that blasts the contents up to 20 feet high into the air for a grand display! They are safe to use indoors or outdoors and easy enough for a child to operate with a twist of the bottom canister—under adult supervision, of course! Place your order before 3 pm CST, and we’ll ship it today. Or contact I Love Sparklers for more information on how to make this celebration your best party yet.

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