Bridgend crowned Halloween treat capital of Wales as searches for Halloween goodies rise 84% from 2023. 

• Bridgend crowned Wales’s Halloween treat capital as searches soar 84%.
• UK sees 7.41% rise in searches for Halloween Sweets.
• England see’s highest rise with 14.77%.
• Monmouth saw the largest fall in Wales with 57.14% less searches year on year.
• Toni Dawson of Geraldo’s shares her thoughts.

As Halloween fast approaches, confectioners Geraldo’s have analysed Google data for 545 keywords such as ‘Halloween Sweets’ and ‘Fancy Halloween Candy’ to see which areas of the U.K. are looking for a spooky treat.

They compared search data from September 2023 to September 2024 to see which places in the U.K. were searching for more Halloween sweets than ever before.

Bridgend saw searches boom by 84.38% between 2023 and 2024. This was followed by Cardiff with a 70.97% rise and the Isle of Anglesey, with an increase of 62.50%.

top 3
Area	Sep-23	Sep-24	% change
Bridgend	320	590	84.38%
Cardiff	310	530	70.97%
Isle of Anglesey	80	130	62.50%

The U.K. as a whole saw 7.4% more searches for something spooky and sweet in 2024 than in 2023, with searches rising from 76,420 to 82,080.

Area	Sep-23	Sep-24	% change
UK Total	76,420	82,080	7.41%

England saw the largest increase of any of the home nations with a 14.77% increase followed by Wales with 8.18%.

Scotland and Northern Ireland however saw a fall in searches of -4.12% and -7.12% respectively.

Area	Sep-23	Sep-24	% change
England	62,290	71,490	14.77%
Wales	4,400	4,760	8.18%
Scotland	9,470	9,080	-4.12%
Northern Ireland	3,090	2,870	-7.12%

The highest number of searches in 2024 belonged to Birmingham with a total of 2,520 searches making it the city most passionate about spooky snacks.

Top 5 Searches
Area	Sep-23	Sep-24	% change
Birmingham	2,090	2,520	20.57%
North Yorkshire	1,970	2,480	25.89%
Glasgow	1,400	2,410	72.14%
Lincolnshire	1,840	1,970	7.07%
Buckinghamshire	1,310	1,760	34.35%

Not everywhere in the U.K. has been getting into the Halloween spirit however as some areas showed large falls.

In Wales Monmouth saw the largest fall as searches dropped by -57.14% year on year, placing it 4^th bottom overall in the U.K.

bottom 3
Area	Sep-23	Sep-24	% change
Monmouth	70	30	-57.14%
Caerphilly	530	330	-37.74%
Neath Port Talbot	430	340	-20.93%

Nationally Hinckley and Bosworth saw the largest fall of -80% in 2024 with just 40 searches recorded in September. This was followed by Wokingham with -74.07%.

Bottom 5 Percentage
Area	Sep-23	Sep-24	% change
Hinckley and Bosworth	200	40	-80.00%
Wokingham	270	70	-74.07%
Cambridge	120	50	-58.33%
Monmouth	70	30	-57.14%
Lambeth	330	150	-54.55%

Monmouth beat Hinckley and Bosworth to the bottom of the search table however with only 30 searches recorded for the area in September 2024.

Bottom 5 Searches
Area	Sep-23	Sep-24	% change
Monmouth	70	30	-57.14%
Hinckley and Bosworth	200	40	-80.00%
Denbigh	30	40	33.33%
Cambridge	120	50	-58.33%
Epsom	80	50	-37.50%

Toni Dawson, owner of Geraldo’s commented on the findings.

“Whether you’re sitting down with your favourite snacks to watch something spooky, dishing out a handful of sweets to trick or treaters or a snack after a hard day carving pumpkins, for a lot of people, Halloween is as much about something sweet as it is about scares.

“Over the years, the U.K. has been waking up to the fun Halloween can offer and it’s no longer seen as the American import it once was, so it’s no surprise to see that there are more people than ever eager to celebrate spooky season”