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Candytopia Bringing Willy Wonka’s Factory and Candy Land to Life in Buckhead

Candytopia is a 12-room, over-the-top, sugar-filled art exhibit built for Instagram

Candytopia is opening in Buckhead
Candytopia is opening in Buckhead
Mike Coppola/Getty Images
Beth McKibben is the editor and staff reporter for Eater Atlanta and has been covering food and cocktails locally and regionally for 12 years.

Candytopia — an over-the-top, sugar-filled art exhibit built for Instagram — is opening in Buckhead in February. It’s like if Willy Wonka opened a theme park with Andy Warhol fronted by Mark Zuckerberg. The press release doesn’t specify precisely where this confectionary wonder world will be located, however, three possibilities include Phipps Plaza, Lenox Square Mall, or the lux-retail complex, Buckhead Atlanta.

The edible art installation has seen the likes of A-list celebs such as Drew Barrymore and Gwyneth Paltrow breeze through its dozen, saccharine-laden rooms snapping pics for their ‘grams. The interactive, candy experience offers visitors dips in a marshmallow pit (sorry, it’s made of foam,) augmented reality technology via a mobile app to capture those special moments, and art depicting local landmarks and celebrities bedecked in various candies and sweets.

Marshmallow pit at candytopia
Marshmallow pit
Joel Pitra
Hammerhead shark required 11,800 candy pieces
Hammerhead shark created from 11,800 candy pieces
Joel Pitra

For $34 per person, visitors to this life-sized Candy Land can also partake in samples while strolling through each room gazing at edible art like a hammerhead shark created from 11,800 pieces of candy or a dragon made from 360-pounds of gummies.

Candytopia was co-founded by Jackie Sorkin (owner of a candy-themed LA events company and star of TLC’s Candy Queen!,) retail businessman John Goodman, and events and production designer, Zac Hartog. The partners opened the first location in Santa Monica, California earlier this year, followed by two other locations in San Francisco and New York City. Candytopia is set to open at Mall of America in Minneapolis this March.

Joel Pitra
Joel Pitra
Joel Pitra
Joel Pitra

Eater Atlanta has reached out for more information, including the exact location, how long Candytopia plans to stick around in Buckhead, and when tickets go on sale.