How to Choose the Right Size Banner

One of the questions I get asked most often is “what size banner should I get?” for my party so I want to walk you through some of the steps I take when planning for my own celebrations, and things I've learned along the way since I started throwing parties for my two kids in 2013, and have made banners for thousands of parties as the owner of Palm to Pine Design, specializing in personalized banners, invitations and celebration decor.

Let me walk you through exactly how to choose your banner size, because the right size makes all the difference between a show stopping banner that wows and one that gets lost on the wall no matter how cool it is!

Shop this Chicken Birthday Banner

My personalized banners come in six standard sizes, and are all printed on indoor-outdoor durable 13 oz scrim vinyl with grommets for easy hanging. Here's a quick cheat sheet on what size birthday banners I offer and then I'll dive into each one. 

Small- 18"x36" - Best for cake smash, high chair banners or small accent entryways. 

Medium-Small - 24"x48" - Best for small living room wall, behind a 4 foot folding table, being held by 2 people (like military welcome home or airport sign)

Medium - 30"x60" - Best for standard living room wall, 6 foot dessert table with balloons

Medium-Large - 36"x66" - This is my preferred size for parties and what you'll see at most of my kids birthdays. Great for larger rooms or outdoor covered patio spaces

Large- 42"x84" Best for party venues or large open walls, great for outdoor set ups or on garage doors

Extra Large - 48"x96" This show stopper is best for large venues, decks or yard displays, fits well under 10'x10' pop up tents.

Prefer metric sizing? The most popular size, 36"x66" measures approximately 91 x 168 cm

Let's think about your party space first, will you be inside a living room, at a party venue like a gym or trampoline park, outdoors at a park in a gazebo? The size of the space will help determine the size of the banner.

The bigger the space, the bigger the banner! If you are decorating a large open wall, like a party venue and plan to place the banner behind a large kids seating table, the larger sized banners are going to be your friend, 36x66”, 42x84” or 48x96”. Hanging a small sized 18x36” on a 15 foot wall is going to make the banner appear tiny and lost in the big space. 

 

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The same goes for outdoor settings like a gazebo, hanging it on a garage door of from the deck, or displaying the banner in your yard with yard stakes. The larger banners are optimal for these locations.

Shop the Sea Sponge Birthday Banner

Shop the Unicorn Birthday Banner

Shop the Woodland Birthday Banner

If you are indoors in a living room, and have an 8 foot wall you are planning to hang the banner on, a smaller size like 24x48” or 30x60” will work best. They are big enough to make a statement without overwhelming the space! 

Shop the Science Birthday Banner

Another question I often ask is where are you planning to put the banner as far as location goes? Is it behind a dessert table, hanging on the fence as a welcome banner, behind a cake smash high chair or maybe behind a gift table? The location matters, but so do the party details like balloon garlands and elements surrounding the banner. If the banner is your focal point with no other decorations, you can lean towards the larger size.

If your banner is going behind a table of any size, I suggest you get a banner similar to the size of the table. Example: you’re using a 6 (72”) foot folding table for desserts and want the banner behind it, I would suggest the 36x66” banner. If you’re planning a large balloon garland or balloons on either side of the table, then I’d suggest a 30x60” banner.

 

Shop the Airplane Birthday Banner

 

Shop the Woodland Baby Shower Banner

Shop the Strawberry Birthday Banner

Have a high chair for a cake smash? The 18x36” or 24x48” banner should be perfect to show off your little one and still make a statement.

 

Shop the Flamingo Birthday Banner

Pro Hostess Tip: Still having trouble visualizing the space? Grab a measuring tape and a shower towel or beach towel and hold them where you plan to hang the banner! My kids beach towel was almost exactly the size of my 36x66” banner and really helped see how it would look on the wall.

Ready to hang your banner once it arrives? Head over to my guide on how to hang your vinyl banner for tips on hanging in multiple locations.

I hope walking you through these steps helps you pick out the right size banner for your space! If you still need help, please feel free to send me a message!