DIY Jellyfish Costume
A jellyfish is a clear dome umbrella, string lights wound through it, and ribbons of plastic hanging down for tentacles. It's the most involved costume in this set, but every piece is something you assemble at the kitchen table the night before.
Two things are worth buying: a clear bubble umbrella for the bell and a long strand of battery lights to make it glow. Everything else is plastic, bubble wrap, or ribbon you cut to length.
What you need
A white or clear outfit, a clear dome umbrella, and battery-powered string lights, with strips of clear plastic or bubble wrap for the tentacles.
- Effort: A little more
- Cost: ~$30
- Time: 20 min
What to buy
The umbrella
Target Our pick
ShedRain Clear Bubble Umbrella · $19.99
Target has the same ShedRain dome for $19.99 five dollars less than Amazon for the same brand with free shipping and 4.5 stars across 227 ratings.
The clear dome is the jellyfish's bell.
See it at Target →Also checked
The lights
Amazon Our pick
suddus 33ft Battery Fairy Lights · $12.99
$12.99 buys 33 feet of battery fairy lights. That's enough to wind through the whole dome with a remote.
4.4 stars across 7,906 ratings make it the deepest pool of any string lights we found.
See it at Amazon →Also checked
How to put it together
- Dress in white or clear underneath. Wear an all-white outfit, or a sheer clear poncho or rain shell over white, so the body of the jellyfish glows instead of disappearing into the dark. White leggings and a white long-sleeve top are the easy base, and they keep you warm under everything else.
- Wind the lights through the umbrella ribs. Open the clear dome and thread the battery string lights along the inside, looping them around each rib and across the canopy so the whole bell lights up evenly. Tape or twist-tie the strand to the ribs at a few points so it holds its shape when you carry the umbrella overhead. The 33-foot strand is long enough to fill the dome with light to spare.
- Hang the tentacles from the rim. Cut strips of clear plastic tablecloth, bubble wrap, and curling ribbon into lengths from your shoulder to your knee, then tape or staple them around the inside edge of the umbrella so they trail down past you. Mix widths and textures so they drift and catch the light like real tentacles. Bubble wrap looks watery up close, plastic strips move the most, and ribbon fills the gaps.
- Hide the battery pack. Tuck the lights' battery box and remote up inside the dome where the ribs meet the handle, and tape it flat so no wire shows. Keep the remote reachable so you can switch the glow on once it's dark.
- Carry it overhead and let it drift. Hold the umbrella up by the handle so the bell sits above your head and the tentacles hang around you. The clear dome is what makes it a jellyfish; keep it open and tilted up so people can see through it.
Make it your own
- For a kid
- Use a smaller clear bubble umbrella, a shorter light strand, and tentacles cut to a kid's height so nothing drags on the ground. Lighter materials matter more here because a child carries this costume and their Halloween candy bag.
- For a group
- A group of jellyfish is a bloom, and a bloom of glowing umbrellas drifting overhead is the whole payoff. If you want, vary the umbrella sizes and tentacle colors so each one looks like its own creature.
Best if you'll wire the lights into the umbrella and want the boldest costume here.
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Prices checked June 14, 2026. Stores set their own prices and may change them — the “See it at” links go to the live listing.