- Published
Halloween has become so popular that some attractions now make more money from the spooky season than Christmas, operators say.
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operators → publish → Christmas
From pumpkin festivals and haunted mazes to zombie experiences, businesses say demand for Halloween events has soared as the celebration grows from a single night into a month-long attraction.
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celebration → say → attraction
At Avon Valley Adventure Park near Bath, Halloween activities now generate around a third of the site's annual income.
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activities → generate → income
Founder Doug Douglas said: "Halloween is really important for us, it has surpassed Christmas.
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it → say → Christmas
"We make half of our turnover in October, and one third comes from the week of Halloween alone," said David Gaze, owner at Chaplins fancy dress shop in Bristol.
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Gaze → make → Bristol
Retailers, farm attractions and scare parks say people are spending more on costumes, decorations and immersive experiences, helping to make October one of their busiest times of the year.
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people → say → year
Chaplins has been a staple in the city centre for 35 years, back when people wore fancy dress on New Year's Eve.
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people → wear → Eve
"People don't do that so much anymore, now it's mostly for Halloween," Gaze said.
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Gaze → do → Halloween
Last year, it saw its busiest October to date, with customers individually spending an average of £40 on fancy costumes and accessories.
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customers → see → costumes
"People are spending more and the week of Halloween is our busiest every year, we get queues outside the front door.
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we → spend → door
"
"It's usually what people are seeing on TV that sells well.
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that → see → TV
Some years ago it was boiler suits from Squid Game, everyone wanted that," he added.
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he → want → that
Halloween's growing popularity is also benefiting supermarkets and retailers selling sweets, decorations and party supplies.
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popularity → grow → sweets
In a survey carried out in March by market researcher IGD, external, 36% of shoppers said they planned to celebrate Halloween this year, up from 27% in 2025.
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they → carry → 2025
Harvir Dhillon, lead economist at the British Retail Consortium, said at this time of year "retailers will be competing hard" as they see "greater demand for sweets and chocolate, as well as decorations and costumes".
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they → say → sweets
"Halloween has become an increasingly popular occasion for people to enjoy," he said.
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he → become → ?
And some like to start celebrations as early as possible, like Catarina Vieira, who lives in Swindon and started decorating her house last week.
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who → like → house
"I spend between £150 to £200 every year on Halloween," she said, adding that is mostly on decorations and thrill events.
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that → spend → decorations
Vieira said feeling scared about monsters is a "fun escape" from the stresses of her everyday life as an A&E doctor.
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feeling → say → doctor
"I think having a holiday where you are scared about something that is 'real', instead of the usual daily mental pressures, touches me in a way.
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that → think → way
"
"It helps me escape reality for a bit, being scared about something that is tangibly scary, like monsters or bats," she added.
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she → help → monsters
Many farmers have found ways to diversify their land, by turning it into lucrative family attractions on Halloween.
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farmers → find → Halloween
In October, pumpkin patches where you can pick your own pumpkin are high in demand, with popularity being largely driven by social media.
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popularity → pick → media
Farms often charge an entry fee which can vary significantly, from around £2 to £15 per person, for children and adults alike.
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which → charge → children
With the biggest whoppers selling for upwards of £15 a piece, a fun family day out pushing wheelbarrows full of pumpkins can become costly, yet some attractions sell out quickly.
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attractions → sell → pumpkins
Why are farms embracing Halloween?
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farms → embrace → Halloween
Heather Parry, managing agent at National Farm Attractions Network (NFAN), said Halloween has become one of the biggest seasons of the year for some farmers.
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Halloween → manage → farmers
Now it's a wonderful experience for the whole family," she said.
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she → say → family
The network has around 200 members and "almost all" embrace the spooky season with a mix of "maize mazes, after-dark trails, scare attractions and pumpkin festivals".
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all → have → dark
"Diversification is key for many farms to thrive," she added, saying it has helped them mitigate existing challenges.
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them → thrive → challenges
Parry said: "Farmers are coping with climate change, change in government support and requirements, high input costs, the changes to inheritance tax relief on farms along with many other things."
"Halloween gives farms a short, high-footfall season," she added.
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she → say → season
'Halloween has surpassed Christmas'
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Halloween → surpass → Christmas
Doug Douglas, founder of Avon Valley Adventure Park, said their Halloween events grow every year and now generate a third of their yearly income.
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events → say → income
"We turn over £2m from our activities in October," said Douglas.
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Douglas → turn → October
He added: "Halloween is really important for us, it has surpassed Christmas."
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it → add → Christmas
The park sits on a 90-acre farm in Keynsham, near Bath, and was once a fruit farm after his dad bought the land more than 30 years ago.
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dad → sit → land
Now Douglas runs family activities during school holidays and seasonal events, including for Halloween and Christmas.
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Douglas → run → Halloween
FEAR Scream Park is their award-winning attraction offering "immersive scare experiences" over 13 nights in October, with scare mazes and live actors.
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Park → win → mazes
This month, they are expecting around 30,000 visitors but Douglas said the event is not "massively profitable" due to costs.
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event → expect → costs
"It costs us about £750,000 to put on the event," he said.
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he → cost → event
…and 11 more, not listed.
The Aporia
