Celebrations isn't its own chocolate recipe — every piece in the tub is a miniaturised version of an existing Mars bar, which is exactly what makes it work as a household sharing tub rather than a single-flavour box.
A tub built from Mars' greatest hits, shrunk down
- Galaxy — the smooth milk chocolate mini bar, plus a separate Galaxy Caramel piece.
- Mars — miniature version of the nougat, caramel and chocolate bar.
- Snickers — mini peanut, caramel and nougat bar.
- Twix — mini biscuit fingers with caramel and chocolate.
- Bounty — mini coconut and chocolate bar.
- Milky Way — mini version of the lighter, whipped-centre bar.
- Maltesers — a small bagged portion rather than a bar shape.
Every piece is individually wrapped, sized for one or two bites rather than a full bar's worth.
Launched in 1996 — the mini-bar format
Mars launched Celebrations in the UK in 1996 as a mixed-selection alternative to buying separate multipacks of its individual brands. The idea was straightforward: instead of a household arguing over whose favourite bar to buy, one tub could cover Galaxy fans, Twix fans and Maltesers fans at the same time, directly taking on the mixed-selection model that Quality Street had already proven worked at Christmas.
Christmas gifting and the UK "tub wars"
Celebrations now competes every December with Quality Street (Nestlé) and Cadbury Heroes for shelf space and for the recurring online debate over which tub is the best value or has the best "favourite" sweet. The tub format itself — big, shareable, built for a houseful of different tastes — has become as associated with UK Christmas Day as the crackers on the table. If any of the bars inside are your actual favourite, the full-size Galaxy, Maltesers and Twix ranges are all worth a look beyond the mini tub versions.
Frequently asked questions
What chocolates are in a Celebrations tub?
A standard Celebrations tub contains miniature versions of Mars-owned chocolate bars, typically Galaxy, Mars, Snickers, Twix, Bounty, Milky Way and Maltesers, plus Galaxy Caramel, all in bite-sized wrapped pieces.
When did Celebrations launch?
Celebrations launched in the UK in 1996, created by Mars as a mixed tub of miniaturised versions of its most popular chocolate bar brands, rather than a single-flavour box.
Why is Celebrations a Christmas tradition in the UK?
Along with Quality Street and Cadbury Heroes, Celebrations became part of the UK's tub wars, mixed-selection tubs sold heavily around Christmas because they let one tub satisfy a whole household's different chocolate preferences at once.