Jump Into a Giant Marshmallow Pit at This Candy Pop-Up Exhibit
The exhibit of candy art — which runs from September 20th through January 5th — includes fake Warhols, ample candy samples, and a ball pit made of (foam) marshmallows.
Candytopia is coming to Philadelphia in September. Photo by Marcus Ingram/Getty Images for Candytopia.
When Sir Thomas More published his book Utopia in 1516, outlining his vision of a — wait for it — utopia, it’s safe to say he didn’t have in his mind’s eye the image of enraptured humans dancing and selfie-ing in a pit of 250,000 foam marshmallows. Oh well. Times and tastes have changed. Because the foam marshmallow thing is precisely what you’ll be able to do at Candytopia — like utopia, but with candy! — the roving candy exhibit that will set up shop at the new Fashion District in September.
There will be more than a dozen rooms of candy art at the exhibit, from the subterranean (“an underwater-themed wonderland with fantastical candy covered sea creatures,” per a press release) to the superterranean (“a rainbow-filled room with flying unicorn pigs”). See for yourself — from Candytopia’s recent stop in Atlanta:
Looks scary … scary delicious. Photo by Marcus Ingram/Getty Images for Candytopia.
This little piggy is made of candy. Photo by Marcus Ingram/Getty Images for Candytopia.
It’s not all pigs and fish at Candytopia, though. That would be way too one-dimensional for utopia. No, there’s also an imitation Warhol painting, a Frida Kahlo, and a Van Gogh. There’s a sphinx! And on each work of candy art — please refrain from eating it, by the way; there will be samples for you elsewhere — there is a small plaque that informs you of the “candy count,” the construction time, and the amount of sugar. For the Warhol, that would be: 3,800 pieces of candy, 82 hours, and 1,500 grams of sugar. (Not included on the plaque: the number of cavities one would develop after eating the art. The American Heart Association recommends about 25 to 35 grams of sugar per day.)
This sphinx is less old than the real thing, but it contains more candy! Photo by Marcus Ingram/Getty Images for Candytopia.
Please don’t eat the art. Photo by Marcus Ingram/Getty Images for Candytopia.
Before coming to Philly, Candytopia had made stops in San Francisco, New York City, Minneapolis, Atlanta, Houston, and Dallas. Each exhibit changes slightly to incorporate a bit of local flare. Candytopia organizers remain tight-lipped as to what that will be, but allow us to make an obvious suggestion: Rocky Road Rocky. We’ll know for sure when the Philly exhibit opens on September 20, one day after the Fashion District ribbon-cutting.
Tickets, which must be purchased in advance, are on sale now. Apparently they tend to sell out, so grab them while you can. Candytopia runs until January 5th, at which point it will pack up and move on.
Nothing is forever. Not even utopia.
