Collection: Disco Balls

Creating the perfect vibe for your party is essential. You need the right music, food, lights, and decorations. That's where the disco ball comes in.

While many people think that disco balls are a thing of the past, their nostalgia-inspiring appearance brings the right energy to just about any event. That's because, to this day, the disco ball remains a symbol of fun and dancing.

If you're planning a celebration and you want to make sure it has a fun and relaxed atmosphere, a disco ball will certainly send the right message.

Explore our collection of disco balls to find the right size to light up your space with these unique and fun decorations!

What is This Fascinating Little Mirror Ball?

A disco ball is a mirrored ball that bounces light from its surface to dance along the walls of your event space. Tiny mirrors in different shapes decorate the ball.

This simple gadget is typically a foam or aluminum ball with either a sheet of mirror fragments or individually placed mirrors covering its surface. When light hits the ball, the mirrors refract it in all directions.

Depending on the type of disco ball, it might be free hanging, which allows it to twist and spin naturally. However, others have a small motor in the device that allows it to spin.

When color-changing lights reflect off the spinning ball, beautiful beams create a cheerful and fun atmosphere. This classic decoration makes any home, restaurant, or outdoor location the perfect space to host the party of your dreams.

Be sure to check out the selection on our site to find the perfect disco ball for your celebration!

History of Disco Balls

Nearly everyone has a memory from their childhood or adolescence of dancing or skating under a spinning mirror ball. If you're of a certain age, perhaps you can remember when Disco was at its height, filling nightclubs with its cheerful dancing beat.

Or perhaps you watched Saturday Night Fever and tried to learn John Travolta's dance moves. Maybe you remember the music and the light from your childhood visits to the skating ring. Roller-skating to ABBA's "Dancing Queen" or "Stayin Alive" by the Bee Gees.

Regardless of when or where just about all of us have a memory of sparkling beams of light dancing around us as we moved to the music.

But where did these delightful decorations even come from?

An Electrician's Accessory

You would be surprised to hear that, according to Vice, the invention of the disco ball took place almost 100 years before Disco music took the world by storm. In fact, it wasn't even designed for music or dancing at all.

"Meet Me Under the Disco Ball: A History of Nightlife's Most Enduring Symbol" explains it was invented to show off the lamps and lights at an electrician union's celebration. At the time, it was referred to merely as a 'mirrored ball.'

Later, a man named Woeste patented his invention of a 'myriad reflector,' though the name never caught on. Most continued to refer to them as mirror balls or mirrored balls until the 1970s.

When discotheques became popular, and disco music took the world by storm, suddenly, nightclubs across America competed by trying to order larger disco balls. (Today, the largest disco ball is over three stories tall!)

These little wonders also evolved with technology. For instance, when people got tired of spinning them by hand, they began using motors to keep them spinning.

An Escape Through Music

So what was it about Disco that brought these balls to the forefront of pop culture and the dancing scene?

According to "All About Disco, Inside the History and Influence of Disco Music," Disco music originated in the late 1960s. It was influenced strongly by artists from marginalized communities, from African Americans and Latinos to the LGBTQ community.

African American and Latino artists highly influenced this genre of music, and it became increasingly popular in nightclubs and other spaces where people could congregate in relative safety and enjoy a night of escapism.

Escapism seemed to be the key. Amid a world beset by racism, homophobia, political chaos, and other factors, people turned to the dance floor to find a moment of peace.

Disco music featured a steady beat, a variety of instruments, and eventually synthesized sounds. A precursor to the trance and house music of today's clubs, the music's simplicity and repetition allowed dancers to get lost in the music and the movement.

And the disco ball was at the center of it all.

Taking It Mainstream

While disco was taking over in subculture scenes, it wasn't until Saturday Night Fever that it became a mainstream sensation. "All About Disco" explains that the soundtrack for this movie was largely responsible for launching the genre into the disco ball spotlight.

For those who are familiar with the movie, it's almost impossible to remember it without the sparkle of the disco ball in the background. This little device was as iconic as Travolta's white suit and signature dance moves.

For a moment, disco artists and music had everyone's attention. But, it wasn't meant to last. The same tensions that promoted Disco's rise led to its downfall, and its surge in popularity lasted shorter than a decade.

However, its influence is felt even to this day--forever immortalized by those shining balls at the top of our clubs, dancehalls, roller rinks, and more.

Becoming A Pop Culture Icon

Disco balls still show up, and their appearance does not typically change. We see them sparkling above school dances, shining above roller rinks, and gracing the silver screen.

A staple of pop culture, it frequently pops up in musical performances, movies, and more. We've all seen the classic school dance, where the main characters begin swaying to a slow song under the sparkles of a mirror ball.

Saturday Night Fever might be the most famous movie featuring a disco ball, but it also appears in movies like Grease, Casablanca, Footloose, and more.

Cartoon imitations of the famous Saturday Night Fever scene, including in movies like Despicable Me, cartoon serials like The Simpsons, and many more feature the spinning ball prominently in the background. Another iconic disco moment from the movie that is frequently recreated is the walk featuring the song "Stayin' Alive."

Aside from movie stages, the mirrored ball has also graced the sets of music videos and stages of concerts all over the world.

Vice noted that U2's frontman Bono emerged from a mirror-plated lemon on their Poptart tour. Madonna has also incorporated disco balls in her concerts, including emerging from one for the MTV music award show. On another occasion, she sat on a disco ball while singing her song "Hung Up."

Even recent artists such as Paramore have managed to incorporate Disco Balls into their backdrops as a light accessory.

It seems that no matter how much technology advances, our love for the disco ball will remain. Shining above us, it symbolizes life, light, and dancing without care.

A Sensory Experience

As mentioned earlier, disco and the mirror balls became a precursor to the modern nightclub scene. In the 70s and 80s, Disco music, with its steady rhythm, encouraged dancing and movement, while the twinkling lights above created a low-tech visual feast.

With light bouncing all around and the bass thrumming, a dance club created a sensory experience for all who attended.

Today, a similar experience is created with electronic music, with disc jockeys providing house or trance beats. Behind and around them are flashing lights, lasers, and LED screens with visual stimulation.

The technology has changed, but the premise is the same. The lights and sounds of these clubs promote the opportunity to truly live in the moment.

Light Up Your Parties

As you can see, with its icon status and nostalgic history, a disco ball or mirror ball is a great accessory to your party space, and they come with a variety of options.

From the largest ball with a remote control motor to more modest balls, we have options for you to choose from.

Choose:

• Size: largest to small

• Color: a classic mirror to different colored mirrors

• Type: Merely hanging or motorized

Disco balls look great in a variety of locations. From small locations like school lockers to bedrooms, patios, living rooms, and more! These delightful decorations light up any space, bringing a unique blend of joy and character.

While traditionally, the disco ball is hung from the ceiling in the center of the room, you can create a variety of effects by hanging them in different locations and using multiple at once.

Carefully placed, a set of disco balls can light up an entire room with just one light source! A cost-effective way to brighten any room.

Get your Disco Ball Today!

Decades later, this sparkling accent remains one of the most popular items for parties across the US. So, browse our selection and find the perfect disco ball for your event and get ready to bring a little disco back into your life.

Check out our Mini Disco Ball