Object type
Giant inflatable sphere, custom-made
- Inflatable moon tagged with the Grand Palais
- 15 m diameter
A giant inflatable sphere is a custom balloon, printed, mirrored or lit, that works as a set piece, a brand carrier or a projection screen. Digital Inflatables has made a 15 m diameter moon, 9 spheres with projection mapping for Illuminate Adelaide, a crowd balloon for Olympique de Marseille and a 3.50 m chrome sphere for an Angèle music video, delivered in 2 weeks.
Projects of this type
25 projects
Brands and retail
Giant inflatable sphere printed as planet Jupiter
Giant inflatable sphere printed with Jupiter’s orange, cream and dark red cloud bands: an inflatable planet made by Digital Inflatables in 2019.
Festivals and concerts
Giant inflatable moon with a 4 m diameter
A 4 m (15 ft) giant inflatable moon sphere printed with a cratered lunar surface, made by Digital Inflatables for indoor halls or outdoors in the Jura.
Art and culture
Giant inflatable moon sphere, 15 m in diameter
Giant inflatable moon 15 m in diameter, printed with a blue and white lunar surface, made by Digital Inflatables in 2019 and linked to the Grand Palais.
Corporate events
5 m giant inflatable Earth globe with internal light
A 5 m inflatable Earth globe printed with a view of the planet, lit from inside and turning a continuous 360°, made by Digital Inflatables.
Festivals and concerts
Giant inflatable balloon with the WAD electro music logo
Spherical inflatable balloon bearing the WAD electro music logo, set on a lawn with its blower, made in 2021 by Digital Inflatables.
Corporate events
Hanging inflatable spheres at CEATEC 2019 in Japan
Large transparent inflatable spheres hanging above a booth at CEATEC 2019, Makuhari Messe, Japan, as presented by Digital Inflatables.
Contents · 5 sections
What is a giant inflatable sphere used for?
As a set piece, a brand carrier or a screen: a moon for an exhibition, a crowd balloon in a stadium, a mirror sphere for a music video or a trade show stand.
In stadiums, crowd balloons pass hand to hand above the stands: for Olympique de Marseille at the Orange Vélodrome, and for Capgemini in Singapore, a video balloon streamed live.
For a campaign, a printed sphere carries a message that reads from afar: a 2 m balloon for the Stop 5G movement, or eye-shaped balloons for an optician.
At a trade show, transparent hanging spheres flagged a stand at CEATEC 2019.
For the festive season, the workshop made the giant baubles of the Grand Sapin at Bô Noël in Lausanne, a 15 m tree.
How big can an inflatable sphere be?
Across Digital Inflatables projects, diameters range between 2 m for the Stop 5G balloon and 15 m for a crater-printed inflatable moon.
In between: 2.4 m for the illuminated balloon in Gstaad, 4 m for the AFRO WORLD sphere and the moon on a hill in the Jura, 5 m for the Earth globe lit from inside.
In 2023 the workshop offered its mirror balloons in sizes between 50 cm and 8 m in diameter, in 20 colours.
The right diameter depends on viewing distance and ceiling height: see the guide to inflatable projection spheres.
A similar project? Describe it to our team.
Request a quotePrinted, mirrored or lit: which sphere?
A sphere can be printed all over, covered in mirror fabric, lit from inside, or used as a screen for video projection.
Print turns a balloon into a planet: the Jupiter sphere shows its cloud bands, and the CGN moon is printed by dye sublimation.
The WAY agency moons have a built-in LED system, and the Gstaad balloon changes colour in RGB, controlled over Bluetooth.
The Angèle sphere is fully chrome, like the 3 spheres, 4 m tall, installed in Paris for L’Oréal Pro.
For Illuminate Adelaide, Digital Inflatables built the 9 spheres and developed the mapping graphics. Projecting from outside takes several projectors: the NOAA Science On a Sphere setup uses 4 projectors, 90 degrees apart.
Air or helium: do you need a permit?
An air-filled sphere stands or hangs, inflated by a blower. A helium sphere floats on its tethers and, in Switzerland, counts as a captive balloon with its own rules.
A small blower is often enough: the one on the WAY agency moons draws only 120 watts.
To float, one litre of helium lifts 1.02 g, envelope included; the USGS put the base price of Grade-A helium at about $14 per cubic metre in 2024, before surcharges.
In Switzerland, a captive balloon of up to 40 m³ may not be flown within 3 km of an aerodrome’s runways unless an exception is granted; in the United States, 14 CFR Part 101 applies to moored balloons more than 6 feet in diameter. See the constant-air, sealed and helium guide and the permits guide.
Where can an inflatable sphere go: indoors or outdoors?
Indoors, a sphere hangs from rigging points or sits on the floor. Outdoors, it sits on the ground, ballasted and anchored against the wind.
The 5 m Earth globe and the 4 m moon have hung in large halls; the CGN moon floated above the roof of a steamboat.
In Switzerland, the December 2021 rigging guideline issued with Suva has the venue operator declare the permitted loads of suspension points.
Outdoors, a light sphere catches the wind fast: for helium inflatables, Glow Inflatables asks for wind and gusts under 15 mph, about 24 km/h. See the guide to wind limits and anchoring.
Full specifications
| Chrome spheres for L’Oréal Pro | 3 structures, 4 m tall, 15 m³ each, in Paris |
|---|---|
| Inflatable moon tagged with the Grand Palais | 15 m diameter |
| Spheres for Illuminate Adelaide | 9 custom inflatable spheres, with projection mapping |
| Olympique de Marseille crowd balloon | Orange Vélodrome, Ligue 1 match |
| Chrome sphere for an Angèle music video | 3.50 m, delivered in 2 weeks |
| LED moons for WAY agency | 2 m and 4 m diameter, LED system, delivered in 12 days |
Frequently asked questions
How much does a giant inflatable sphere cost?
The backlit moon of the Astra Festival cost between 3000 and 5000 CHF, and mirror balloons could be ordered in 2023 with a minimum order of $2000.
How long does it take to make an inflatable sphere?
10 days for the CGN moon, 12 days for the WAY agency moons and 2 weeks for Angèle’s chrome sphere. The lead times guide gives more benchmarks.
Can you project images onto an inflatable sphere?
Yes: for Illuminate Adelaide, Digital Inflatables built 9 spheres and developed the mapping graphics.
Can an inflatable sphere be used outdoors?
Yes, ballasted and anchored, like the 4 m (15 ft) moon photographed on a hill in the Jura; take it down when the wind picks up.
Inflatable sphere or dome: which one?
A sphere decorates or serves as a screen; to shelter people, you need an inflatable dome or event tent.
Sources
- Digital Inflatables projects page digital-inflatables.ch
- Fedlex, ordinance on special category aircraft fedlex.admin.ch
- Cornell, federal rules for moored balloons law.cornell.edu
- UCSB Physics, helium lift web.physics.ucsb.edu
- USGS, helium pubs.usgs.gov
- NOAA, floor plan for projection spheres sos.noaa.gov
- Artos, rigging guideline artos-net.ch
- Glow Inflatables FAQ glowinflatables.com
Drafted with AI assistance from the company’s verified facts, reviewed and approved by Jodoc Elmiger, founder and managing director of Digital Inflatables.
All projects of this type (19)
Corporate events
Giant grey inflatable sphere with vertical light strips
Large grey inflatable sphere with vertical white light strips, filmed in a timber hall and posted in 2023 by Digital Inflatables, a custom inflatables workshop.
Brands and retail
Checkered inflatable balloon for La Coquette
Red and white checkered inflatable balloon lettered COQUETTE, hung in a stairwell, made by Digital Inflatables in 2019 as an indoor decoration.
Shows and media
Aerotain flying screen drone, an inflatable sphere
The Aerotain, a flying video screen drone shaped as a 2.3 m inflatable sphere, developed by an ETH Zurich spin-off and featured by Digital Inflatables in 2019.
Corporate events
LED inflatable moons, 2 m and 4 m, for WAY agency
Inflatable moons 2 m and 4 m in diameter, with fire-retardant fabric and LED lighting, made in 12 days by Digital Inflatables for WAY agency in France.
Festivals and concerts
Inflatable projection spheres for Illuminate Adelaide
9 illuminated inflatable spheres designed and built by Digital Inflatables for Lucion, with mapped graphics, shown at Illuminate Adelaide 2025.
Art and culture
Inflatable mirror spheres and a 2 m mirror ball
Mirror fabric tests by Digital Inflatables in 2023: three iridescent inflatable spheres joined together and a 2 m magenta inflatable mirror ball.
Corporate events
Inflatable moon on a CGN Belle Époque steamboat
A glowing inflatable moon, sublimation-printed and made in 10 days by Digital Inflatables for an event aboard a CGN steamboat on Lac Léman.
Giant inflatable sphere in Olympique de Marseille colours, with an onboard camera, built by Digital Inflatables for the stands of the Orange Vélodrome.
Campaigns and bids
Inflatable 2 m balloon for the Stop 5G movement
Simple 2 m inflatable balloon, yellow and printed, designed and built by Digital Inflatables in 2019 for the Stop 5G movement, which opposed the 5G rollout.
Festivals and concerts
4-metre giant inflatable sphere for AFRO WORLD
Giant inflatable sphere, 4 m in diameter, custom-made in 2023 by Digital Inflatables for AFRO WORLD and hung above the crowd in a dark venue.
Brands and retail
Giant inflatable eye balloons for an optician’s opening
White inflatable spheres printed with a blue eye, made in 2022 by Digital Inflatables and set on a rooftop to announce the opening of an optician’s shop.
Festivals and concerts
Giant inflatable Christmas baubles for Bô Noël in Lausanne
Giant inflatable baubles made by Digital Inflatables for Le Grand Sapin, the 15 m Christmas tree of baubles at Bô Noël 2023 in Lausanne.
Brands and retail
Giant inflatable mirror spheres for Christmas decoration
Five giant inflatable mirror spheres, iridescent, black, pink, green and clear, built in 2022 by Digital Inflatables as a Christmas decoration.
Shows and media
3.50 m chrome inflatable sphere for an Angèle music video
A fully chrome-finished 3.50 m inflatable ball, made in 2 weeks by Digital Inflatables for a music video by Angèle, produced by Partizan.
Giant inflatable sphere with the Capgemini logo, used as a crowd balloon at a rugby activation in Singapore in 2018. Designed and made by Digital Inflatables.
Corporate events
Custom inflatable mirror spheres, 50 cm to 8 m
Mirror-finish inflatable spheres made to order by Digital Inflatables, 50 cm to 8 m in diameter, in 20 colours, with a flame-tested fabric.
Brands and retail
4 m chrome inflatable spheres for L’Oréal Pro in Paris
Digital Inflatables designed, built and installed 3 chrome inflatable spheres in Paris for L’Oréal Pro, each 4 m tall with a volume of 15 m³.
Corporate events
Giant RGB illuminated balloon for an event in Gstaad
Giant RGB Bluetooth light-up balloon, 2.4 m in diameter, designed and built by Digital Inflatables for an event in Gstaad in 2020.
A 2 m illuminated inflatable ball hung in the Padelistes padel club in Bercy, Paris, for its opening in 2024, made by Digital Inflatables.