The Instagram-Ready Candytopia Plans a Sugar-Filled Philly Stop

The colorful, over-the-top Candytopia, a traveling exhibit of art made out of candy, is heading to Philadelphia for the first time after bouncing from coast to coast. It’s a built-for-Instagram photo op, similar to Philly’s homegrown Photo Pop, with people buying tickets to pose in front of a candy sphinx, portrait of Beyonce, rearing unicorn, and pool full of foam marshmallows.

It’s Instagram’s world; we’re just living in it.

Candytopia is setting up at Ninth and Market in the about-to-open Fashion District Philadelphia, the new mall replacing the old Gallery. The mall spans Eighth to 11th streets and Market to Filbert, with shops, a movie theater, a bowling alley, an arcade, and eateries, including restaurant/winery/concert venue City Winery.

Both Fashion District and Candytopia open September 19. The exhibit’s end date hasn’t been revealed yet but stops in other cities have lasted three or four months.

Tickets go on sale August 27 at noon and cost $28 for adults and $20 for kids 4 to 12. Kids 3 and under get in free.

That gets you access to about a dozen different rooms filled with candy-art installations, including a marshmallow pit packed with 250,000 foam marshmallows and a room of confetti explosions and flying pigs...wearing tutus? disrupting the space-time continuum?, plus candy to eat.

Bob Levey/Getty Images for Candytopia

Candytopia, which debuted in Santa Monica, California, in early 2018, is the brainchild of Jackie Sorkin of TLC’s Candy Queen. According to the organizers, more than a million people have stopped in to take photos, including celebs like Gwyneth Paltrow, Drew Barrymore, Bruce Willis, and Adam Sandler.

In other themed pop-up news, a Pokemon bar is heading to Philly in April 2020 with booze and burgers made to look like different characters. The dates are set — April 25 and 26 — but the location isn’t. PokeBar has no ties to The Pokemon Company, similar to the upcoming Lego bar pop-up, which is not in any way affiliated with the toy manufacturer.

Take a look around Candytopia:

Bob Levey/Getty Images for Candytopia

Marcus Ingram/Getty Images for Candytopia

Marcus Ingram/Getty Images for Candytopia

Marcus Ingram/Getty Images for Candytopia

Bob Levey/Getty Images for Candytopia

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