Halloween is celebrated on October 31st, and is an exciting day for all of us, and trust us; it is not just kids who get excited about this, but businesses too. From small businesses to large enterprises, Halloween Day is celebrated wholeheartedly by brands all over while it offers a tremendous opportunity for marketing its products and services, generating high sales and revenue.
According to the National Retail Federation's annual Halloween Consumer survey, over $10.6 billion was spent by consumers on Halloween in 2022. And it is important to know how to profit from this insatiable demand for unique Halloween products, services, and experiences, to be a part of this ever-growing seasonal holiday.
So, let's say you are in it for a quick buck and are on the search for some of the best Halloween business ideas; then you have reached the right place. As this spooky season approaches, it's time to unleash your entrepreneurial spirit and tap into the money-making opportunities that come with it. So, here are 12 money-making Halloween businesses ideas you totally should try out in 2023.
12 Money-Driving Halloween Business Ideas to Pursue this Year
Here are 12 lucrative Halloween Business Ideas you can incentivize this year:
Haunted House Hosting Service
If you are looking to start a business from the comfort of your own house or a small space without a heavy investment, then this idea is definitely a spooky one, to begin with. All you need to do is convert one or more rooms into a spine-chilling haunted house or rent out a space based on your budget and become the host! You can create elaborate sets and terrifying props and hire actors to bring your haunted house to life. To incentivize this, you need to make this whole experience truly worth it.
Arrange some activities to attract scare-seekers looking for a thrilling Halloween experience. To attract visitors and participants, you can promote this experience through social media, local advertisements such as flyers, and partnerships with local businesses.
For example, in 2019, Pomona Community Services hosted its 5th annual haunted house at Palomares Park with costume contests and fun activities and games for friends and families.
To follow this Halloween business idea, all you need to do is:
- Choose a suitable location for your haunted house.
- Plan the layout and design of the haunted house, including themes and scare tactics.
- Acquire or create props, decorations, and costumes.
- Recruit and train actors to perform in the haunted house (you can even get your friends onboard).
- Obtain necessary permits and insurance for safety purposes.
- Set ticket prices, create an online booking system, and market your haunted house.
Estimated Investment and Revenue
Investment for this particular business idea can vary depending on the scale and complexity of your haunted house. If you want to do it on a small scale, you can do so with as little as $1000-$2000 dollars. But if you want to make the big bucks, then you will have to find a bigger place, and everything, inclusive of the actors, could cost you up to $10,000.
Revenue potential depends on ticket prices, the number of visitors, and operational costs. With careful planning and effective marketing, you can generate substantial revenue during the Halloween season.
Costume Rental Boutique
One of the most in-demand services to render during the Halloween season is a costume rental boutique. People are eagerly looking forward to renting Halloween costumes instead of purchasing them, as it is a one-time thing. And certain costumes are always more in demand than the others, such as popular movie and TV show characters, including Harley Quinn from Suicide Squad and characters from Stranger Things. So selling costumes that are in demand for both adults and children will help you cater to a larger crowd. In addition to costumes, you can also provide accessories, makeup, and styling services to enhance the customer's Halloween experience.
The Halloween Adventure Shop in New York rents out Halloween costumes, amongst others. They also rent out makeup kits and accessories all year round, making it a perfect destination for costume rentals.
Steps to start a costume boutique:
- Find a suitable retail space or online marketplace for operating your boutique.
- Source or create a diverse collection of costumes and accessories.
- Set up a fitting area or exchange and return policies for rentals.
- Hire knowledgeable staff who can assist customers in finding the perfect costumes, be it online or offline.
- Market your boutique through online platforms such as Instagram and Facebook, local events, and collaborations.
Estimated Investment and Revenue
The investment for starting a costume rental boutique may range from $20,000 to $50,000, including inventory, store setup, and marketing expenses. On the flip side, if you are starting it online, then the initial investment can be as low as $5000, depending on the quality and the inventory you are holding.
The revenue can range from $10,000 to $50,000 depending on the number of rentals and pricing structure.
Halloween-themed Escape Room
A creative and immersive escape room experience is always loved by people, especially during Halloween. Plan a Halloween-style escape room with intricate puzzles, eerie settings, and engaging storylines. This is a great business idea to explore by challenging the participants to escape within a time frame. An escape room caters to groups of friends, families, and corporate team-building events.
Here are the steps you can follow for this:
- Choose a location suitable for your escape room.
- Develop a compelling Halloween-themed storyline and puzzles.
- Design and construct the physical sets and props.
- Invest in high-quality technology and audiovisual effects.
- Hire and train staff to oversee game operations and provide hints when needed.
- Market your escape room through social media, online platforms, and partnerships.
Estimated Investment and Revenue
The investment for a Halloween-themed escape room can range from $50,000 to $100,000, depending on the complexity of the game, set design, and technology. The best part of this setup is that you can always revamp the Halloween settings to something else, post the season.
The revenue potential will depend on the number of bookings and pricing. The average price per player is $36, and if you are charging $30 per player and have a footfall of at least ten groups of 6 players each, you can pay up to $45,000 per month (calculated for 25 days in a month).
Spooky Food Truck
If you are a food truck owner or are looking to venture into this business during the Halloween season, then a Halloween-themed food truck idea is a great start-up idea! Revamp your existing food truck to offer a variety of spooky snacks, desserts, and beverages that capture the Halloween spirit. Or, rent out a food truck to deliver a Halloween-only food experience.
This way, you can generate a lot of demand in a short period, as people will be interested in trying out this experience as it is time-bound. To get the crowd in, you can market through local pre-Halloween events, parties, and festivals to attract customers.
And this trend is a popular one. The Witching Hour is a popular horror-themed food truck from Bentonville, Arkansas. It opened in 2021 and sells satisfying and tasty burgers in a spooky setting.
How to start?
- Acquire a food truck and customize it with Halloween-themed decorations.
- Develop a menu of Halloween-inspired dishes and beverages.
- Source ingredients, equipment, and supplies for food preparation.
- Obtain necessary permits and licenses for operating a food truck.
- Hire staff with culinary expertise to prepare and serve the food.
- Promote your food truck through social media, online listings, and collaborations.
Estimated Investment and Revenue
The investment for starting a spooky food truck can range from $5000 to $10,000 if you are renting out the food truck. For purchasing a truck, the investment could go up to $50,000, and inclusive of the equipment, inventory, and marketing expenses, it can go up to $75,000.
Revenue will depend on the number of customers, pricing, and operational costs. But you can expect to make $2000 and upwards per day, depending on the menu and cost of dishes.
Halloween Event Planning Services
Halloween Day doesn't fall short on events. Families, friends, restaurants, hotels, and other corporations organize Halloween Day parties and celebrations, and most often take the help of professional event planning services to make it happen. So why not leverage this opportunity? You can offer comprehensive event planning services for Halloween-themed parties, corporate events, and community gatherings. Remember to create customized event concepts, handle venue selection, decor, entertainment, catering, and coordination to deliver memorable Halloween experiences.
Here's how you can get started:
- Define your target market and identify the types of events you want to specialize in.
- Develop a portfolio showcasing your event planning expertise and Halloween-themed concepts.
- Build a network of reliable vendors, including venues, decorators, entertainers, and caterers.
- Create packages and pricing structures for different event sizes and services.
- Market your services through social media, networking events, and collaborations with local businesses.
Estimated Investment and Revenue
The investment for starting a Halloween event planning service can vary depending on the scale of events you aim to handle. It may range from $5,000 to $10,000, including initial marketing costs, license permits, insurance, etc.
Revenue will depend on the number and scale of events booked, fees charged, and operational expenses. But you can expect a 15-20 percent profit for each event.
Online Halloween Marketplace
Creating an online platform where sellers can showcase and sell Halloween-themed products can prove fruitful in this digital era. You can support the sale of Halloween-themed items such as costumes, decorations, accessories, and party supplies. Ensure you offer a wide variety of unique and high-quality items to cater to Halloween enthusiasts of different ages.
The Smell of Fear Candle Co. is a scary-themed Shopify store that sells candles, room sprays, enamel pins, stickers, and other eerie accouterments. Right from the typography to the product images, the entire store displays a creepy and Halloween-like theme to inspire those Halloween fans and shoppers.
To start,
- Choose a platform for your online marketplace, such as an e-commerce website or a dedicated marketplace platform. If you have a small budget but are looking for many features, then Shopify could be your best choice.
- Establish policies and guidelines for sellers, including product quality standards and shipping requirements.
- Curate a diverse range of Halloween products from various sellers.
- Implement a secure payment system and user-friendly browsing experience.
- Develop marketing strategies to attract sellers and drive traffic to your marketplace.
Estimated Investment and Revenue
The investment for starting an online Halloween marketplace can range from $100 to $1,000, depending on the complexity of the platform, marketing efforts, and initial inventory acquisition. Revenue will be generated through commissions or fees charged to sellers for each transaction.
If you are running your store on Shopify and are looking to transform the theme to match the Halloween mood without purchasing a new theme, then this video might be helpful:
Pumpkin Carving Classes
You cannot celebrate Halloween with scary-looking pumpkins. It's everywhere and an inevitable part of Halloween Day celebrations, and carving pumpkins for this has become a tradition. You can organize and teach pumpkin carving classes where participants can learn various techniques to create intricate and spooky designs on pumpkins. To make it more attractive, you can provide carving tools, stencils, and guidance to help participants unleash their creativity. You can also conduct pumpkin carving contests to encourage more participation.
Necessary steps to start include:
- Find a suitable location for conducting the classes, such as a workshop space or community center. You can even consider doing it online and sending out the required materials.
- Acquire carving tools, stencils, and other necessary supplies.
- Develop different levels of classes to accommodate beginners and advanced participants.
- Create a curriculum and lesson plans that cover various carving techniques and designs.
- Promote your classes through social media, local event listings, and partnerships with schools or community organizations.
Estimated Investment and Revenue
The investment for starting pumpkin carving classes can range from $50 to $1,000, including supplies, venue rental, marketing expenses, and instructor fees. Revenue will be generated through class fees. The revenue potential depends on the number of participants, and you can charge between $30 to $75 dollars depending on the difficulty level.
Haunted Tour Guide Services
Offering guided tours through so-called haunted locations in your area and sharing spine-chilling stories and legends associated with each site is an exciting business idea to explore this Halloween. However, before taking up any such activities, it is imperative to conduct thorough research, develop captivating narratives, and provide a thrilling experience for tour participants. In some cases, you may need to take permission for access. You can also consider putting up a haunted set covering a certain area and creating a narration around it to attract people. This way, more people will be encouraged to come in for the story and thrilling experience.
To start, you need to:
- Research haunted locations in your area and gather historical and paranormal information.
- If you are putting up a set to mimic an actual location, you need to find a location to do so.
- Develop engaging tour scripts that highlight the spooky tales and legends associated with each location.
- Obtain necessary permits or permissions to conduct tours at specific sites.
- Hire knowledgeable and charismatic tour guides.
- Establish partnerships with local tourism organizations, hotels, and attractions to promote your tours.
Estimated Investment and Revenue
The investment for starting haunted tour guide services can range from $100 to $5,000, including research, marketing, and operational expenses. Revenue will be generated through ticket sales for the tours and depends on the number of tours conducted and ticket pricing.
Halloween-themed Subscription Box
If you have been running an online store selling hampers, subscription boxes, and other gift options, then this one is for you. Tap into your existing customer base to deliver a curated selection of Halloween-themed items to subscribers on a seasonal basis. You can create urgency and nudge people to purchase them by making them time and bound.
For the subscription box, you can include a variety of products such as decorations, costumes, treats, and exclusive collectibles.
Here's how you can start:
- Start by defining your target audience and identify the specific theme or niche for your subscription box.
- Source or collaborate with vendors to curate unique and high-quality Halloween items.
- Determine the frequency and pricing of the subscription box.
- Develop a user-friendly website or platform for subscriptions and account management.
- Implement a robust shipping and fulfillment process to ensure timely delivery.
Estimated Investment and Revenue
The investment for starting a Halloween-themed subscription box can range from $500 to $15,000, including product sourcing, website development, marketing, and initial inventory. Revenue will be generated through subscription fees. By offering exclusive and appealing items, you can generate recurring revenue during the Halloween season.
Custom Halloween Decorations
Gone are the days when people only purchased the cliche Halloween items. Now, it's the time to embrace artisans and brands that sell unique and custom-made decorations. They are a hit during Christmas and a potential success for Halloween Day too.
If you are into creating handmade decorations or have access to unique and custom-made Halloween decorations that cater to individual preferences and specific themes, then you can venture into this Halloween business idea.
You can offer a wide range of products, such as door wreaths, table centerpieces, window decals, and yard displays.
Steps to start this business:
- Develop a catalog of different Halloween decoration designs and themes.
- Source materials and supplies required for creating the decorations.
- Set up a workshop space for crafting and assembling the decorations.
- Create an online presence through a website or social media platforms to showcase and sell your products.
- Implement an order and shipping system to fulfill customer requests.
Estimated Investment and Revenue
The investment for starting a custom Halloween decorations business can range from $100 to $5,000, including supplies, marketing, and website setup. You can profit based on the pricing of the raw materials, time, and labor put into it.
Haunted Bed and Breakfast
Looking for an all-year-round business idea that works well with a Halloween theme? Transform a historic or spooky-themed property (or even a normal property with some added decorations) into a haunted bed and breakfast where guests can stay and experience the thrill of a haunted atmosphere. Don't forget to create an eerie ambiance, offer ghostly storytelling, and provide a unique accommodation experience.
A New York mansion filled with spooky charm is located in the historic village of Lansingburgh that provides a spine-chilling experience for its guests. Interested folks can stay in this second-floor haunted house for $295 per night.
In order to start, you need to:
- Acquire a suitable property with a historic or spooky ambiance.
- Renovate and decorate the property to enhance the haunted atmosphere.
- Develop ghostly stories and legends associated with the property to share with guests.
- Set up comfortable and themed guest rooms with appropriate amenities.
- Create packages and promotions for guests, such as ghost tours or paranormal investigations.
- Market your haunted bed and breakfast through online platforms, travel websites, and partnerships with local tourism organizations.
Estimated Investment and Revenue
The investment for starting a haunted bed and breakfast can vary significantly depending on the property's purchase or lease, renovation costs, and marketing efforts. It may range from $100,000 to $500,000 or more. Revenue potential will depend on occupancy rates.
Haunted Pet Costume Contest
Pets are now the most active participants in the Halloween Day dress-up parties! Organize a pet costume contest where owners can dress up their furry friends in spooky or adorable Halloween costumes. Host the contest at a local venue or as an online competition and offer prizes for the best-dressed pets.
You can start by:
- Securing a venue or setting up an online platform for hosting the pet costume contest.
- Promoting the contest through social media, pet-related websites, and local pet stores.
- Setting guidelines for costume entries, judging criteria, and prize categories.
- Arranging for judges, emcees, and any necessary equipment or props.
- Organize the contest day, including registration, photo opportunities, and announcing the winners.
Estimated Investment and Revenue
The investment for organizing a haunted pet costume contest can range from $1,000 to $10,000, depending on the scale of the event, prizes, and marketing efforts. The revenue potential depends on the number of participants and other expenses.
Conclusion
And that's all folks! These 12 money-making Halloween business ideas are sure to captivate and thrill both entrepreneurs and customers alike. So, with careful planning, creativity, and effective marketing, you can turn the spooky season into a profitable venture. Embrace the spirit of Halloween, unleash your entrepreneurial spirit, and get ready to reap the rewards of these business ideas in 2023!
