Industry Snapshot (U.S.)

Seasonal attractions remain a popular way for families, teens, and young adults to spend discretionary dollars on shared experiences. Ticket revenue for haunted events typically concentrates on October weekends, with weekday group bookings, sponsor nights, and VIP upsells helping smooth cash flow across the run. Operators that pace throughput, pre-sell time slots, and combine strong production values with clear safety policies tend to see stronger reviews and higher repeat visitation.

Many haunted attractions align with NAICS 713990 – All Other Amusement and Recreation Industries, reflecting their role in the broader U.S. amusement and live experiences sector. Founders often reference official NAICS industry materials when describing their business category and benchmarking against similar entertainment operations.

When building projections, it’s common to sanity-check attendance, average ticket price, and add-on revenue against national Halloween spending research and local event history so your haunted house plan shows ticket volumes and price points that sit within a reasonable range for your region and venue size.

What’s Inside this Haunted House Business Plan Template

Executive Summary & Funding Ask

A lender-ready snapshot of your haunted attraction that spells out the concept, target audience, operating dates, and exactly how much funding you’re requesting. It clearly shows how the money will be used across build-out, sets, props, staffing, marketing, and working capital so underwriters see a professional capital plan from page one.

Company & Concept

A plain-English overview of your haunted house brand, ownership structure, and venue. You’ll describe your theme, scare style, and seasonal schedule, along with any escape-room or interactive elements, so landlords, partners, and lenders can quickly understand what makes your attraction stand out in your local market.

Market & Competition

A focused look at demand drivers like Halloween participation, local events, tourism, and regional attractions, along with nearby haunts, escape rooms, and family entertainment centers. This section shows you understand how far guests will travel, what alternatives they have, and why your haunted house can capture enough visits to support your revenue targets.

Services & Revenue Streams

A breakdown of how you actually make money: GA tickets, fast-pass and VIP tiers, group bundles, sponsor nights, concessions, photos, and merch. You’ll spell out how each stream fits into your guest experience and how seasonal add-ons or special events can extend revenue beyond just a few peak weekends.

Operations & Staffing

Practical details on how your haunt runs night to night, including build-out milestones, queue design, timed entry, actor and crew schedules, safety checks, and close-down procedures. This section helps you show how you’ll pace throughput, manage lines, keep guests safe, and staff appropriately for peak versus shoulder nights.

Marketing & Growth Plan

A step-by-step outline of how you’ll fill your time slots using social media, video content, influencers, school and club partnerships, group sales, email/SMS, and sponsor tie-ins. You’ll also cover how you’ll grow year over year by improving reviews, adding attractions, and locking in repeat group and VIP business.

Financial Forecast & Use of Funds

A 3-year profit-and-loss and cash flow model that ties nightly attendance, ticket tiers, and add-ons to revenue, with believable labor, insurance, rent, and marketing assumptions. The forecast connects directly to your funding ask so lenders can see how your build-out, launch budget, and ongoing costs still leave room for profit and loan repayments.

Frequently Asked Questions