Thriller night! Halloween demand makes October peak month for Thorpe Park owner

Halloween thrill-seekers are helping make October a peak month to rival August for theme parks as Thorpe Park and Alton Towers owner Merlin reveals the month now accounts for around a fifth of its yearly profit.

Merlin’s boss Fiona Eastwood said October is “as significant” as the peak summer season for the attractions giant, which also owns theme parks in the UK and overseas, including Chessington World of Adventures and Legoland Windsor.

At Thorpe Park in Surrey, which has been running its renowned Fright Nights since 2002, October now makes up nearly half (46%) of its annual profit and even overtook August for visitor numbers in 2024, with a third more than in the peak summer month.

Last year, October accounted for nearly a fifth of annual visitor numbers and almost a quarter (23%) of revenues at the attraction.

At Alton Towers in Staffordshire, its Scarefest programme over Halloween is helping October contribute 27% of annual earnings and 16% of total revenue.

The firm is expecting more than 440,000 visitors to Alton Towers throughout this month.

Ms Eastwood said: “From the launch of Fright Nights at Thorpe Park in 2002 with just two scare mazes, to now delivering Halloween experiences right across our estate, we’ve transformed this occasion into a defining moment in our trading calendar.

“We’ve turned Halloween into a focal point that captures the imagination across generations and is now as significant as the peak summer season, and in some cases even more so.”

Outside of the UK, the firm’s Heide Park Resort in Germany saw the highest share of Halloween across Merlin’s European estate last year.

It comes as Halloween becomes a key event in the calendar for Britons, with the UK rapidly catching up with the grand-scale celebrations seen in America each year.

Merlin said its rides in the dark remain among the most popular attractions, with guests citing night-time experiences as a key reason for visiting its theme parks over the Halloween season.

But Ms Eastwood said its immersive experiences are also drawing in visitors.

UK attractions such as Alton Towers and Thorpe Park are expanding their Halloween programmes this year to offer more immersive, age-inclusive experiences which aim to “blend excitement with seasonal storytelling”.

Halloween experiences for this year include a new maze at Thorpe Park and two new attractions at Alton Towers – Trick O’ Treat Town and Amigos of the Afterlife.