Decorative gourd season is over. Now it’s candles’ time to shine. 

As temperatures fall, sales of candles rise, often peaking around the holidays. Shoppers say they’re drawn to their light and warmth during winter’s shorter, darker, colder days. Scented candles, meanwhile, are a relatively inexpensive way to modify a home’s ambience when Americans spend more time hosting and hanging out, according to Neil Saunders, managing director of retail for market research firm GlobalData.

Bath & Body Works’ (BBWI) annual candle sale coaxed people out of bed before sunrise on Friday, attracting shoppers from abroad and enticing fans to add to their already extensive collections. The influencer behind YouTube’s Candle Channel called the three-day event the “Super Bowl” of the wick-and-wax community.

Brian Malheiro, 25, and two companions arrived at a Bath & Body Works store in Queens, N.Y. early Friday, seeking discounts that were exclusively extended to rewards club members on the first day of the promotion. He was armed with a list of what he called “must-haves, possibles and other options.”

When he couldn’t find two of his favorite scents, he decided to search for them at another store. “Last year I got 40” candles, Malheiro said. “This year I only have 12—but, like I said, it’s my first store.”

Demand for candles exploded during the pandemic, according to Saunders, with many converts holding on to the habit. Americans spent around $5.8 billion on scented candles in 2021, according to market research firm Mintel, up from $3.8 billion in 2019, before finishing last year at about $5.3 billion.

Saunders said companies often introduce new fragrances in the fourth quarter, which deepens fans' engagement during candles' golden days. The number of candles sold at Walmart (WMT), Target (TGT) and Amazon (AMZN) more than doubled the 2023 weekly average in the penultimate week of the year, according to AnthologyAI, which analyzes consumer spending data, and was more than two-thirds higher than usual in the last week of the year. 

Flight Attendants, Candle Collectors Have a 'Happy Candle Day'

At Bath & Body Works, three-wick, 14.5 oz. candles that normally sell for $25 or more were available for $9.95, according to promotions for the sale. Fifty new candles were brought in for the event, including fragrances inspired by the TV show “Bridgerton.” And purchases of at least six candles were stacked in tote bags with cartons designed to cradle the jars.

At the company’s store near Grand Central Station in Manhattan on Saturday, about 50 people roamed the store at noon, smiling at sales associates’ “Happy Candle Day” greetings, dancing to Christmas music and posing for photos. 

Flight attendants from England and Ireland stocked up on candles they said were difficult and expensive to buy abroad.  

“This is probably my third time coming,” said Tia Parish, 28, from London. “I specifically asked to be here when [the sale is] going to be around.”

Some other stores also saw candle-related traffic on Saturday, though Bath & Body Works appeared to be the main event. A handful of shoppers sniffed candles during a visit to a Manhattan T.J. Maxx (TJX), while another small group eyed candle displays at Bloomingdale’s (M). (Downstairs at the department store, other shoppers were checked out a “fragrance fair,” where a DJ spun tunes.)  

Thelma Gil, a teacher’s assistant, estimates that she has 90 candles in a spare bedroom at home. On Saturday, she limited herself to seven at Bath & Body Works. 

“I buy candles anywhere,” Gil said. “I have to be careful whenever I go to Target — or even T.J. Maxx.”

Bryan Norman, a 26-year-old in New York City who works at a hospital, bought 20 candles at Bath & Body Works on Friday morning, then returned Saturday to buy a dozen for his grandmother; he called himself a year-round candle connoisseur.  

“I don’t care what season, time—it’s getting lit,” Norman said.