Halloween is more than just a spooky season—it’s a major opportunity for venues to attract new guests, create unforgettable experiences, and drive significant revenue. By capitalizing on the excitement surrounding Halloween, you can transform your venue into a must-visit destination that guests will rave about.
Read on for five effective ways that you can generate buzz and capitalize on the Halloween season.
1. Serve up spooky themed food
Nothing says Halloween like spooky snacks and creepy cocktails! Offering limited-edition, Halloween-themed food and beverages is a fun way to get guests into the spirit while creating upsell opportunities. You can also simplify the ordering process for guests with mobile F&B ordering allowing customers to order spooky treats straight from their smartphones.
Halloween food ideas for kids:
- Witch’s Fingers – hot dogs or chicken tenders with tomato sauce
- Spider Web Pizza – individual pizzas with a web design using cheese and/or pepperoni
- Jack-o'-Lantern Juice – pumpkin-flavored smoothies or juice served in Halloween-themed cups
- Ghost Cupcakes – cupcakes decorated with marshmallow ghosts
Halloween food ideas for adults:
- Vampire Blood Cocktails – cranberry and vodka with a red “blood” drip on the rim
- Eyeball Pasta – spaghetti with meatballs designed to look like eyeballs
- Apple Potion – spiked apple cider served with a dry ice effect for a spooky mist
- Pumpkin Spice Martinis – a Halloween twist on a classic cocktail
Read more: Halloween-Themed Attractions: A Scarily Good Growth Opportunity
2. Host costume competitions
Costume competitions are a Halloween staple and a fantastic way to draw guests of all ages. Encourage visitors to come dressed in their best Halloween attire and offer exciting prizes for categories like "Scariest Costume," "Best Group Costume," and "Most Creative Costume."
Halloween costume event ideas for kids:
- Host a costume parade where kids can show off their costumes and compete for fun prizes
- Offer categories like “Cutest Costume” or “Best Superhero Costume” to appeal to younger guests
- Create a photo station with fun Halloween-themed props for kids and families to take memorable pictures.
- Set up a face painting station where kids can transform into their favorite Halloween characters, like vampires, witches, or friendly ghosts.
Halloween costume event ideas for adults:
- Set up an adults-only costume contest with prizes like VIP tickets, drink vouchers or exclusive event experiences
- Offer categories like “Best Couple Costume” or “Most Original Costume” to make the competition more fun
- Set up a photo station with spooky lighting, fog, and eerie props, perfect for Instagram and TikTok posts
3. Add haunted twists to your current attractions
Transform your existing attractions with a haunted twist for Halloween. Whether it’s a spooky overlay to your roller coaster, a haunted maze, or eerie lighting and sound effects on your mini-golf course, these enhancements can turn your regular attractions into must-see Halloween experiences.
Get creative by adding fog machines, strobe lights, and creepy soundtracks to give guests a truly thrilling experience.
Halloween attraction ideas for kids:
- Add a trick-or-treat scavenger hunt across your venue where kids can collect candy and prizes.
- Add giant inflatable pumpkins, cobwebs, and skeleton props at entry points and around attractions.
- Create a not-too-scary haunted house or maze with staff dressed up as friendly characters to entertain families.
- Transform a carousel or train ride into a “Spooky Train” with fun decorations and glowing pumpkins.
- Set up a pumpkin decorating area where kids can paint or carve pumpkins to take home.
Halloween attraction ideas for adults:
- Turn an existing space into a haunted house or maze with live actors, fog machines, and hidden surprises.
- Transform your attractions into haunted experiences with eerie music, flashing lights, spider webs, and costumed staff.
- Turn off the regular lights and offer a special blacklight night where the entire venue glows in spooky colors.
- Create a pop-up haunted bar with themed cocktails and spooky decor, perfect for adults looking to celebrate Halloween in style.
- Offer haunted tours where guests learn about ghost stories or historical hauntings related to the venue or the local area.
Decorations ideas
When in doubt, the following decorations will help transform your venue into a spooky spectacular:
- Fog machines to create an eerie, mysterious atmosphere.
- Strobe lights and colored lighting add intensity to rides or haunted attractions.
- Halloween inflatables like giant spiders, ghosts, or witches draw attention.
- Motion-activated props like screaming skeletons or laughing witches can startle guests as they walk through – just be sure to have them sign any necessary waivers ahead of time.
- Spider webbing draped over fences, seats, or walls give your venue a haunted feel.
- Pumpkin and lantern pathways can guide guests through spooky trails or areas of the venue in style.
4. Offer exclusive ticketed premium packages
Seasonal and pop-up-themed areas provide theme parks with a fresh and dynamic feel, ensuring that every visit offers something new. Halloween may be the current focus, but the trend of early decorating applies to other holidays as well. For example, Christmas decorations often appear as early as November 1st, just after Halloween. However, some venue operators worry that starting too early could diminish the impact of the holiday season.
To help manage the demands of year-round celebrations, we suggest creating a seasonal event calendar to plan your decorations and keep guests engaged throughout the year. This calendar ensures that your venue stays vibrant and exciting, with timely holiday and seasonal decorations that captivate visitors.
Read more: 10 Package Ideas That Will Increase Spend-Per-Head
5. Maximize your event with marketing
Marketing is key to building anticipation and driving attendance for your Halloween events. Start by teasing your Halloween offerings on social media, using visuals of your spooky decor, themed food, and premium packages. You can personalize your marketing content based on what your guests love, with help from ROLLER’s CRM.
- Social media teaser videos: Post behind-the-scenes videos of how your venue is preparing for Halloween, from decorations to food preparation.
- Influencer collaborations: Partner with local influencers to attend your Halloween events and share their experiences with their followers.
- Email countdown campaign: Build anticipation by sending regular emails highlighting different aspects of your Halloween events.
- Photo contest: Use your photo stations and costume contests to generate excitement on social media by encouraging guests to share their outfits with a branded hashtag for a chance to win prizes.
- Deals and discounts: Offer exclusive early-bird deals, member discounts or sneak peeks of attractions.
- QR code promotions: Use QR codes to lead visitors to special Halloween event pages, promotions, or exclusive content.
Don't forget to encourage guests to leave reviews and share their experiences online, creating a buzz around your venue that draws even more traffic. With ROLLER’s guest satisfaction feedback software, the GX Score, you can automate the process, making it easy to capture valuable feedback and reviews after each visit.
How ROLLER can help you get the most out of the spooky season
Halloween is a prime opportunity to elevate your guest experience and increase revenue, and ROLLER is here to help. From mobile food ordering to seamless ticketing for your haunted attractions, ROLLER’s all-in-one platform makes it easy to plan, promote, and execute your Halloween events.
Not a ROLLER customer? Book a demo and see how ROLLER can help you increase revenue, delight guests, and streamline operations.
