Halloween Candy Buffet

Halloween Candy Buffet 

Halloween means candy!  Spooky, creepy, funny, delicious, candy!  Your Halloween celebration is sure to be a big hit with a DIY candy buffet.  Let us help you design the candy buffet of the season.

Your Theme

Of course your theme is Halloween, so your colors will incorporate orange, yellow, brown, and a touch of green.  The candy choices are traditional or specialty.  There are many ghoulish candy choices for Halloween, from gummy bats, to gum ball eyes, and of course lots of gummy worms, candy corn, and peanut butter kisses.

You will need bulk candy that is sold by the pound which is scooped. You may have individually wrapped and specialty candies as well. You will limit these candies to one per guest. Finally, you will have display candy. Candy corn suckers, caramel apple hard candy, and all of your favorite candy wrapped in special Halloween themes are available in bulk online and ready to ship.

Working With The Table

Set up your table.  Most display tables are either 6’ or 8’. Once the table is set-up, mentally divide it into three zones (back, middle, and front) This will give you an idea how many tall containers, medium containers, and low containers you need. Use clear containers that are large enough to hold enough candy so refills are not needed.

Ordering Candy 

The average amount of candy ordered per person is approximately 8 ounces per guest. For 24 guest, you need about 15 pounds of candy (192 ounces). Note: candy usually comes in 5 pound bags.

Displaying the candy

The “back zone” will be for tall, clear containers. Use small boxes or dishes to raise or lower the containers for eye-appeal. This is a section for wrapped or specialty candy. Do not use this section for loose candy as it is too hard to scoop from the tall containers.

The “middle-zone” is for your bulk candy. Your bulk candy will be three sets of two wide-mouth clear jars. This balances the table. Make sure a scoop can easily pass through the opening. Examples of bulk candy for your fall table are candy corn, fall colored M&M’s, Harvest foil covered chocolate drops.  The pros at Sweet Services has a huge selection to choose from.

Use the “front-zone” for candy you want to display in trays. This is a great place for trays of gummy worms and bugs, and foil covered Jack-O-Lantern chocolates.

Bringing It All Together

The tablecloth, decorations, centerpiece, and backdrop (if you use one) is the first thing your guest will see. Though they will see the colors of the candy, they will not focus on the candy until the “wow” of the original visual passes.

We suggest you use solid color tablecloths to complement the bright colors on the table. You could double drape the cloth using two contrasting colors, allowing one to hang lower than the other, or turn them so one corner hangs in front making a V-shape.

Some people like to use a backdrop. You can use a matching tablecloth, Halloween cut-outs are perfect for the back drop.  More creative ideas include using a stand with a bar across the top (think portable closet or clothes drying rods) take long strips of cloth in your theme colors and tie them to the rod. You would tie them with a scarf knot or a large bundle at the top and let the strips hang down.

Center Piece

Your centerpiece is a critical part of your buffet. Depending on the reason for your buffet, you can traditional Halloween decor (pumpkins, a witches hat, or a cauldron full of candy)

You cannot go wrong with cauldron. Fill it with select candy or make a great centerpiece by adding dry ice and a little water for fog.  Place jars around the cauldron labeled with spooky ingredients for the witches brew effect. Note: Do not leave dry ice cauldron unsupervised around children.