Halloween at Theme Parks: A Spooky Surge in Attendance

Halloween has transformed from a simple night of trick-or-treating into a major event celebrated throughout the entire month of October. This scary event evolution has significantly impacted theme parks, which now experience some of their highest attendance rates during the Halloween season. We have learned at ITPS that even in economic downturns, Halloween is not affected. Only rain seems to deter visitors, and with the beautiful weather we have experienced in October, events such as Universal Studios' Halloween Horror Nights, Disneyland's Oogie Boogie Bash, and Six Flags' Fright Fest have drawn massive crowds, turning the parks into hotbeds of spooky fun and frights. However, this surge in attendance presents unique challenges, particularly for staffing which already begins thinning in early August. To maintain high-quality guest experiences and manage the increased demand, theme parks must explore innovative strategies, including partnering with volunteers from local area organizations, clubs, and churches for their fundraising purposes.

Halloween events at theme parks have become immensely popular, with many parks reporting record park attendance this season. Several major parks have reported single days attendance numbers of over 50,000 guests for Halloween. This is occurring as a result of unique attractions, offerings like special haunted houses, scare zones, and themed rides providing exclusive experiences that aren't available year-round. Also, parks often extend their operating hours, offering late-night entertainment that appeals to both families and thrill-seekers at this haunted time of the year. Guests also love to come out for the exclusive Halloween-themed decorations, merchandise, and specialty food items.

While the increased attendance during Halloween events boosts revenue, it also presents several challenges. The huge spike in visitors requires additional staff to manage attractions, food and beverage services, guest services, and security. This comes at a time when park’s staffs are already at their lowest points. The larger crowds can tremendously strain park operations, leading to longer wait times and potentially decreasing guest satisfaction. As we have seen in certain situations, it can create overheated situations among guests, causing in-park altercations.

As we have also seen, managing large crowds, especially during nighttime events, requires heightened security and safety measures, at significant additional expense.

Here are a few ideas and solutions to address these challenges. 

• Theme parks can adopt several strategies, including utilizing volunteers for fundraising programs and exploring other innovative solutions.

• Parks can develop programs to collaborate with local churches, clubs, and organizations to create volunteer programs. These programs can not only help alleviate staffing shortages, but also offer a fundraising opportunity for the participating groups. Here’s how it could work. 
  

• Partner early season with local organizations to recruit volunteers interested in fundraising for their cause (beginning in August).

• Through the existing park employees, provide comprehensive theme park training developed to ensure volunteers are prepared to assist for the various upcoming ghoulish roles, also train them in food and beverage service, guest services, and retail.

• In return for their time, the theme park can donate a portion of the event’s proceeds or a fixed number of wages (if not all) per volunteer to the organization. This approach not only fills staffing gaps, but also strengthens community ties and supports local initiatives. 
  

Parks can also offer incentives such as bonuses, extra pay, or additional time off to current employees who are available and can work during the Halloween season. This has been done in some parks, so there is rationale for the idea.

We know Halloween has become a cornerstone of the theme park operating season, driving high attendance when it can be most needed, but also understanding it can create unique operational challenges. By leveraging volunteer programs for their fundraising, theme parks can better manage the increased attendance demand, while maintaining a high-quality guest experience. As Halloween events continue to grow in popularity (and they will continue), innovative approaches to staffing and operations will be crucial in ensuring their continued success.

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