While some Coachella festivalgoers may have their head in the clouds, Brandon Kuhens keeps his feet planted firmly on the ground, on one end of a 1,500-foot chain of 120 balloons. 

For the past decade, Kuhens has worked for Balloon Chain, one of several art installations at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. The chain has become a staple at the festival since its 2009 Coachella debut, stretching hundreds of feet into the air and adding color to the festival's skyline. This year, the chain is blue and yellow, in honor of Ukraine. 

But someone has to keep all those balloons from flying away — and it's a two-person job. On either end of the chain, a steel cable is anchored to a person near their waist (they use steel cable in case a rowdy festivalgoer tries to snip the balloon chain with scissors). That person also holds the end of the chain in the air, and hands it off to eager festivalgoers who grab the end of the chain for a few seconds to take an Instagram-worthy picture.

At night, lights are added to the chain, which provides a nice glow to the desert and also is in line with Federal Aviation Administration rules.

In the morning, they release the cable and start adding balloons, spaced 12 feet apart from each other, inflating them one by one. A person holds the end of the line and starts walking across the festival grounds as balloons are added to the line. Throughout the day, when a balloon pops, they reel in the line to replace the single popped balloon. 

Holding it all day is hard work though — balloon-holders switch off every two hours to regain their arm strength. 

"You get used to it after a couple hours," said Kuhens. 

The balloon-holders have to keep in mind wind conditions, potential hazards like trees or power lines, and not hitting people with the cable or balloons. 

Robert Bose came up with the idea for the balloon chain while at Burning Man in 2006. To avoid losing each other, Bose and a friend attached strings of five or six balloons to the backs of their bikes. Seeing the balloons float straight up in the air sparked an idea. 

"I thought, 'how high could I go?'" said Bose. 

That evening, he started adding balloons to the chain, and kept adding them until he reached around 100 balloons  and the rest is history. Balloon Chain first appeared at Coachella in 2009. 

Benjamin Cerf, another 10-year veteran of Balloon Chain, said he keeps at it because "it adds a whole extra level to the sightlines at the festival, you get to play with the wind, and it's making people happy with balloons." 

If you're lining up for a turn holding the balloon chain, keep in mind a few rules: 

"Keep it as high as you can so people don't run into it. And don't let go. It would be ideal if you hold it with two hands," said Kuhens. 

Ema Sasic covers entertainment and health in the Coachella Valley. Reach her at ema.sasic@desertsun.com or on Twitter @ema_sasic.

Erin Rode covers the environment for the Desert Sun. Reach her at erin.rode@desertsun.com or on Twitter at @RodeErin.