Candytopia is a golden ticket winner’s dream
Pop-up exhibit Candytopia is a fun and colorful venue for Bay Area Instagrammers and sweet tooths alike to mingle with candy-crafted creations and capture pose-worthy photo-ops and tooth-tickling treats in every room.
Candytopia is only open until the end of November and prices range from free for kids 3 and under, $26 for children ages 4-12, and $34 for everyone else. As of publication, there has been no news of any extensions.
One of the perks of Candytopia is that in every room, there is a treasure chest with a trove of candy. Best of all, there’s no explicit sign hindering you from grabbing more than one piece of candy. So feel free to grab more than one handful of candy and stash them in your purse or pocket (I’m guilty of doing this).
Before you even enter the museum, you’re recommended to sign up for the “Sugar Rush Experience” that comprises three free photos taken for free by the exhibit and have them sent directly to your email. Beware, once you scan the QR code to take to picture, you only have 10 seconds to strike a pose. So, do some planning before you scan your phone.
Once you enter, an employee is more than willing to snap your photo with the bright yellow, large Candytopia sign.
Here are the basic rules of Candytopia: You can touch and interact with the candy art, but you cannot lick or try to pick off the candy from the art to eat. “Candy has feelings, too!” the employees said.
Also, every candy creation is accompanied by a fact sheet detailing the amount of candy used and the hours spent making the candied creation as well as the grams of sugar.
Like the Color Factory, Candytopia doesn’t allow patrons to go back to a room once they have left it. So make sure you grab some candy and snap all the pictures you want before going to the next room. You’re also not guided by an employee so you’re welcome to go through the rooms at your leisure.
The first actual room is the library, where you’re greeted by the librarian. This is the only room where you really get to interact with an employee who’s dressed to match their room. Every other room has one or two employees dressed in white or blue jumpsuits who are glad to answer any of your questions or snap a picture for you.
After, you’re free to descend the neon-lit escalator to the Candy Wonderland room. Here, don’t shy away from a boomerang video of you on the swings with a friend, or get a picture pretending to lick the oversized lollipops. This bright room with many photo ops really does live up to its name.
Next is the Art Gallery and the only restroom in the exhibit. The Art Gallery is decked out in crystal chandeliers overhead and a mirrored throne which makes an Instagram-worthy post. There are also candy portraits of Gene Wilder as Willie Wonka and Bay Area native Steve Jobs.
Another homage to the Bay Area, and a perfect photo opportunity, are the candy replicas of the three NBA Finals trophies won by the Golden State Warriors as well as a signed Warriors uniform.
Next, in the “Photo Room” is where you can snap a photo in front of another Bay Area-themed backdrop of a San Francisco trolley. You can also take a photo with the two large red and blue inflated balls behind a background of a blue sky with clouds.
You’re then transported under the sea in the next room with a life-size candied scuba suit, suspended manta ray, shark, mermaid and seahorse. Once you move to the next room, you’re greeted by confetti, either flying in the air or littered on the ground. The falling confetti makes for a magical photo. But watch your step as the large accumulations of confetti make the ground very slippery.
The final room has the marshmallow pit and the Golden Gate Bridge seesaw. Before entering the pit of marshmallow-shaped foam, you must remove your shoes and any loose bags or jackets. You’re also not allowed to dive or stand on the perimeter of the pit. Just before you must exit, people in the center are showered with foam marshmallows.
If you don’t feel like taking your shoes off, you can always get a photo on the Golden Gate Bridge seesaw or just sign the oversized guestbook and get a photo with a statue of a young Robin Williams before heading out through the gift shop.
All in all, if you’re looking for another way to liven up your Instagram feed or get a sugar high, Candytopia in San Francisco is your golden ticket in!