Looking for a great party idea? A boredom buster? How about an epic way to exercise and have some fun? This post is all about how to have the best water balloon fight ever.
Oh, how I love water balloons. Just looking at them makes me happy. Growing up I can remember the hot summer days of eating lunch outside with friends or family with some water balloons bouncing happily in a cooler of shallow water nearby.
The laughter, screaming, running around, wet shoes and adrenaline that would soon follow...
There is nothing quite like it.
The good news? You don't have to be a kid to enjoy a good water balloon fight as long as the game rules are fair and you have a positive attitude.
Water balloons are great for two or more players, holidays that don't involve cold weather or snow, celebrations, parties...and maybe even the occasional date night (if your bae is healthy enough and has a sense of humor).
Here is how to have the best water balloon fight ever.
This post is all about water balloon fights.
How To Have the Best Water Balloon Fight Ever:
What You'll Need
- water balloons (200+)
- a balloon filler (manual or automatic)
- an ice cooler or several buckets to hold filled balloons
- access to an outdoor hose (to fill the balloons)
- someone to have fun with (or a bunch of someones)
- a positive attitude
Before You Begin
1. Do yourself a favor and get an automatic water balloon filler.
Recommendation: Bunch O Balloons brand
Gone are the days of having to sit in a chair next to the water hose, filling each balloon up one by one until your fingers cramp. Josh Mahone, the epic human behind Bunch O Balloons, took the finger work out of filling and tying each individual balloon together. Once you try automatic, you'll never want to go completely manual ever again. It makes a HUGE difference in prep time.
Happy tip: With an automatic filler like this, you can fill 100 water balloons per minute. That's a mega time saver.
Try manually filling 10% of that number on your own in the same timeframe and you will just get frustrated.
2. Set the rules ahead of time
Things like "no aiming from the neck up" can help protect the face and head of all parties involved. Another one like "launch from distance" can require participants to stay a certain feet away from their balloon wielding competitors. A distance rule like this can help keep unsuspecting parties from getting clobbered by overzealous fistfuls of balloons (and it's great for social distancing too.).
When You Fill The Balloons
3. Find your sweet spot
I recommend not too big that they bust when you grab them and not too small that they refuse to break (AKA just bounce off people). Depending on your water balloon this may end up somewhere between a baseball or softball sized water pouch and a plump baked potato.
Cut yourself some slack and try filling them a time or two. You will find your own sweet spot balloon size pretty quickly.
4. Fill them right before (or hours before) the game.
Yes, you can fill them a couple of days in advance but if you do someone will be tempted to throw them once they discover them. Plus, I've tried a couple of days before only to have some spring a leak so I'm the fill-before-you-chuck-them kind of human now.
5. If using an automatic balloon filler, you can reuse the mini washers.
These will be attached to the end of the balloon filler when you fill your balloons and once filled they will stay attached to the individual balloon. Once you pop your little water babies, the washer can be reused after your balloon fight ends.
(If you try to do this during a match, you will get clobbered by your balloon wielding friends.)
Happy tip: If you are frugal by nature or on a budget, reusing the washers can cut back on your water balloon adventure costs. Keep in mind, however, that reusing your washers does require a little effort from you and a potential investment of about 10+ minutes or so to reuse (after you pick them up off the ground).
Finding these mini washers is a cinch: just look for the water balloon pieces scattered in the yard. They will still be attached to the ends of popped water balloons.
During the Action
6. Be kind but be competitive.
You don't get extra points for keeping your opponent dry. If you have total Mother Teresa vibes - I heart you - but tap into your survival instincts during the game to have a chance at winning.
You don't get any brownie points for taking a water balloon for someone else (unless that someone else is bae). (If a guy takes one for me, for example, I definitely take notice. Though to be clear, I would never ask him to do this.)
On the flip side, if you and your bae are on opposite teams and bae is doing the throwing, stepping in front of their water balloon just because you like them, doesn't make for good team sports (and may get you kicked off your team).
8. Never be mean about it.
No one likes a human with bully vibes. Refuse to be cruel or see how much you can hurt someone or their feelings during a game. All parties involved should be able to walk away feeling pretty amazing after the round.
No one should need a medic afterwards.
After the Round
9. "That was great. Good game."
Some derivation of this shows good manners and helps keep the positive vibes going. This can be especially encouraging if you just waltzed up to play and didn't have to do any of the prep work. If that's the case, thank the host. And if you put it together yourself, pat yourself on the back too.
You rock, boo.
10. Pick up the pieces.
Yes, it takes a few minutes to pick up the mess. Nevertheless, refuse to litter or endanger animals who eat off the ground by picking up the bits and pieces of busted balloons before you leave.
If you used an automatic balloon filler and would like to reuse it again, this is also a great time to pick up all the little washers (see #5 for more details).
Water balloon fights are a ton of fun but you make all the difference. Keep these tips in mind along with that positive attitude and competitive outlook before, during and after the the round and you are guaranteed to have an amazing time.
Even if you aren't a kid anymore.
This post was all about water balloon fights.
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