It’s the first thing and the last thing guests do when visiting your haunted house. Parking lots can be a real horror show or they can set the stage for a frightfully fun time. If you’ve ever circled a lot multiple times, hoping to see the brake lights of a car pulling out of its spot, or had to park on a residential street and walk several blocks in the rain to get to your destination, you know the pain of parking in a lot that’s too small.
But as a business owner, you know that parking is also prime real estate. A lot that never fills up is wasted money. It’s space you’re paying for that could have been used to build something that generates revenue instead of sitting empty.
So…how do you know if you have enough parking spaces? Here’s how to calculate how much parking you’ll need at your haunted attraction.
How Many Guests Do You Expect?
A good rule of thumb is to have one parking space for every 2-4 guests.
Let’s say you’ve sold 500 tickets for tonight’s haunt, and expect an additional 250 guests to buy tickets in person when they arrive. Does that mean you need 750 parking spaces? No way!
You just need to plan one space for every 2-4 guests who are at your haunt at any given time. For example, if you expect those 750 guests to arrive in even crowds throughout the night, from say 7 p.m. to 12 a.m., you might decide you need 35-40 parking spots. Keep in mind that crowds often come in rushes and lulls, and busier times of night, like 8-10 p.m. might require more parking than slower times.
How Much Space (Square Footage) Do You Have?
Another way to calculate your parking needs is by the size of your haunt. For general retail purposes, most cities recommend something like one parking spot per 200 square feet of gross floor area.
Here are a couple examples:
| Square Footage | Divided By | Parking Spaces Needed |
| 5,000 | 200 | 25 |
| 50,000 | 200 | 250 |
While these recommendations are for general retail purposes, your mileage may vary. Haunted attractions operate very differently from a clothing store or restaurant, and your parking needs may be different as well.
How Many Guests Can You Accommodate per Hour?
Most haunts don’t let guests through the doors willy nilly as soon as they walk up to the front doors. The show is carefully timed to maximize scares, and that means separating guests into smaller groups, usually between 8-10, and spacing those groups out so that actors and props have time to reset in between groups. No one likes a massive conga line inside a haunted house.
How many guests will you let in at a time? Knowing this number will help you calculate your hourly capacity.
You’ll also need to know your Interval Time, or how much time you’ll wait before dispatching the next group of guests. That time will partially depend on how much time your actors need to reset, and partially on how fast you expect guests to walk through your attraction.
Not sure how much time to leave in between groups? Do a few dry runs with your team, then extend it to family and friends to get an average, keeping in mind that some guests will try to rush through while others will want to take it slow.
Let’s take a look at a few examples:
| Guests per Group | Interval Time (Seconds) | Hourly Capacity |
| 10 | 120 | 300 |
| 10 | 60 | 600 |
| 10 | 45 | 800 |
| 8 | 60 | 480 |
| 8 | 30 | 960 |
How Much Time Will Guests Spend at Your Haunt?
If guests are spending a short amount of time at your haunt, you can probably get away with fewer parking spots, since they’ll be vacated to make room for the next guest quickly. But the time it takes to physically walk through your primary haunt is just part of the equation.
Do you have more than one attraction? Or a concessions area and gift shop? Maybe a midway?
A lot of haunts have been adding more experiences to their venue, to encourage customers to linger…and to spend more money. We’re all for that! Just make sure to include that in your calculations.
Let’s look at an example. For simplicity’s sake, let’s say you have 40 guests arriving every hour and spending 2.5 hours at your haunt. Each car in the diagram below represents four guests. Blue cars arrive during Hour 1, yellow cars arrive during Hour 2, and red cars arrive during Hour 3.
In this scenario, the 40 parking spots would be more than enough to cover the traffic at your haunt. But the numbers will look differently when you change up the variables, such as the amount of time guests will spend at your haunted house.
What Is the Street Parking Situation?
An abundance of free or paid street parking around your haunt can greatly reduce the number of spaces you need in a dedicated lot. Get familiar with the metered parking policies or surface lots near your haunt so you can factor that into your decision about how much parking to allow for your venue.
When street parking is available is also a key factor. If you’re located in a town where office workers and shoppers take up parking spots during the day, but tend to clear out on weekends, that’s great for haunt visitors looking for a space. Additionally, some cities stop charging for metered parking after 10 p.m.
What Does Your Local Government Require?
Each local government has their own rules and ordinances around parking, so it’s important to understand what your community requires. Look for resources on your local municipal parking department’s website or whichever government agency manages parking and business services in your area.
If you’re not sure, a good place to start is with the local Chamber of Commerce or other organization that supports businesses in your community. They should be able to provide you with the right information or at least refer you to the department who handles those regulations.
Are You Using Timed Ticketing?
Timed tickets can help even out the crowds and ensure a steady flow of guests, rather than a rush of people clamoring to get in at peak times. If you’re not using timed tickets, you may want to consider adding some extra parking; the lot might be half-empty the rest of the week, but it will help accommodate those Friday and Saturday night rushes.
Timed ticketing can also help you maximize profits. Remember: guests who are standing in line are not spending money. The less time they wait in line, the more time they can spend enjoying the concessions or add-on experiences. And the less time they’ll take using up a valuable parking space without opening their wallets.
Why Care About Parking?
Aside from the obvious reason, which is to stay in compliance with local laws, parking can be really important to your business.
When a haunt’s parking spills into the lots of nearby businesses or onto the streets in a way that feels disruptive, it can hurt your reputation and relationships with your neighbors. We’re not talking about a few extra cars on the street or the occasional vehicle parked at the restaurant next door. But if your on-site parking is so limited that hundreds of cars line the street for blocks and start to encroach on the parking lots meant for other businesses, those neighbors may start to tow cars and complain to your local government.
It also impacts the guest experience. Guests who can easily find a parking spot and start enjoying your haunt will leave with a more positive feeling about their visit overall. Think about it: the walk back to their car is the last impression they will have of your haunt. Don’t sour a fun night of terror by asking your guests to walk five blocks in the dark.
What About Handicapped Parking?
The ADA requires at least one accessible parking space for every 25 total parking spots. There are also requirements for the size and location of these spots, so it’s a good idea to review those rules to make sure your haunt’s parking lot is in compliance.
Final Thoughts
Parking is an often overlooked but critically important part of any haunted attraction. The amount of parking you’ll need can vary based on factors such as the expected number of attendees, the location of your venue, and local regulations. For haunted houses, it’s important to consider that guests might arrive in groups, and parking needs may be influenced by the popularity and size of your attractions.
