03/10/2026
Las Vegas – Twist & Shout Balloon Convention 2026 🎈
One of the highlights of the convention is the timed competitions. Balloon artists get a very short amount of time to create something impressive from scratch. No second chances — just skill, speed, and a little bit of chaos.
This year I jumped into a few of them:
🎮 3-Minute Competition
I built a Nintendo Switch in three minutes. When the clock starts, you twist fast and hope your hands keep up with your brain.
🐉 10-Minute Competition
For this one I created a Japanese dragon. Ten minutes feels like forever compared to three… until it suddenly isn’t.
🎈 15-Minute “Iron Latex” Challenge
This one is the real curveball. Every competitor receives the exact same mystery pile of balloons — and we don’t see them until the moment the timer starts.
You open the bag, see what you’ve got, and improvise a sculpture on the spot. It’s basically balloon-twisting improv.
It’s fast, stressful, ridiculous… and honestly one of the most fun parts of the convention.
Balloon artists from all over the world competing, learning, and pushing each other to get better.
