According to Statista Research Department, around 70% of Americans are planning to celebrate Halloween in 2024. And last year, consumer spending for the spooky season soared to an all-time high of $12.2 billion, up from $10.6 billion the previous year, according to the National Retail Federation.
But it’s not just consumers fueling the Halloween boom—event planners are increasingly capitalizing on the holiday’s potential to engage audiences. At BizBash, for example, our Halloween-centered stories consistently rank among the most popular, with professionals flocking to them for inspiration on everything from sensory-driven design to crafting emotional, immersive experiences.
Clearly, Halloween is big business. And one company thriving in this landscape is Thirteenth Floor Entertainment Group—the creative force behind renowned seasonal experiences like the Los Angeles Haunted Hayride and The Queen Mary's Dark Harbor, interactive horror theater company Delusion, and many more. 
The Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor has returned to Long Beach, Calif., after a four-year pandemic-related closure. Produced by Thirteenth Floor Entertainment Group for the first time this year, the massive Halloween festival features spooky speakeasies, mazes, carnival rides, and other attractions both on and off the historic boat, along with nightly entertainment like fire spinners, magicians, and sideshow performers.Photo: Courtesy of Thirteenth Floor Entertainment Group
Thirteenth Floor Entertainment Group officially launched in 2010, but its origins trace back to the late '80s when CEO Chris Stafford first worked at a local haunted house and met one of his future business partners, Warren Conard. After the duo initially started the business in Denver in 2002 as a Halloween hobby, it quickly grew—and by 2008, Stafford decided to leave his banking career and focus on it full time. The opening of the first Thirteenth Floor Haunted House in Denver that year sparked rapid growth, leading to expansion across the U.S., with the company's first joint venture in San Antonio in 2010 marking the official formation of Thirteenth Floor Entertainment Group.
So, how does a company that specializes in haunted houses and large-scale Halloween events keep things fresh year after year? “It's a constant brainstorming process with a team of creative individuals,” Stafford explains. “We start planning the next season before the current one is even over. We incorporate trends in pop culture, horror, and holiday entertainment while staying true to the classic Halloween feel."
He adds, "Halloween as a theme never goes out of style. We keep things fresh by mixing in new trends while giving people the classic scares they love.”
In fact, Stafford considers some of those "classic" elements to be nonnegotiable at Halloween-centric events. “Some might think certain scares, like the chain saw, are a cop-out—but the truth is, everyone remembers the chain saw guy!” he says with a laugh. “Those classic elements stick with people. I’ve learned the hard way that if you take away the staples, people notice. Keeping those consistent elements allows us to try new ideas and push the envelope, but you have to give people what they want first.” 
Immersive theater experience Delusion: The Red Castle invites guests to become key players in a sinister, hourlong storyline set in the mid-20th century. New this year, attendees can make choices that alter the path of the story, resulting in a new experience each time. It’s open through Nov. 3 on select nights at the historic Stimson House in Los Angeles.Photo: Courtesy of Thirteenth Floor Entertainment Group
But the biggest change Stafford has observed is a growing desire for more unique, bespoke experiences—which can be a challenge when so many attendees flock to the events on the busiest nights of the season, like the Saturday before Halloween. “It can be tough to offer personalized experiences to such large crowds,” he points out. “To address that, we’ve added more intimate experiences to our events, like interactive shows—Madam Aurora's Seance Theater at the Haunted Hayride and The Summoning of Samuel at Dark Harbor, for example. They’re smaller group experiences, and people really enjoy them. It’s about providing something extra for those seeking a deeper, more individualized experience.”
When asked to pick his favorite Thirteenth Floor event, Stafford likens it to choosing a favorite child—but he admits he’s particularly excited about Dark Harbor this year. The massive Halloween festival in Long Beach, Calif., takes place on the historic Queen Mary ship and surrounding harbor. This year’s event—its first since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic—will feature haunted mazes, live entertainment, themed bars and lounges, and experiences on board the ship. Before its closure, the festival was drawing upward of 120,000 people during its monthlong run each October.
Stafford is ready for the challenge. “It’s a new event for us, and it’s probably the largest event we’ve ever produced,” he says. “Reimagining an event that hadn’t operated for several years and figuring out how it would have evolved if it had stayed open was a fun challenge. We brought back the iconic elements fans love while adding modern touches." 
The family-friendly event Magic of the Jack O'Lanterns takes place in LA’s Whittier Narrows Park. “I believe Halloween entertainment—haunted houses, festivals, and the like—is still a very reasonable form of live entertainment compared to concerts, plays, or sporting events,” Stafford says. “The ticket prices have remained accessible, and it’s an incredible value to spend a night out with friends or family. It’s one of the most affordable live experiences you can have.”Photo: Courtesy of Thirteenth Floor Entertainment Group
While Halloween is the foundation of Thirteenth Floor’s business, the team is busy year-round. Beyond preparing for the next Halloween season, they’re often working on other location-based experiences. In recent years, they’ve also expanded into new ventures with their in-house creative studio.
“We started getting contacted by studios, parks, and agencies for horror-related activations, and I got tired of saying no!” Stafford explains. “We set up a creative shop in New Orleans a couple of years back, and over the last year, we’ve been setting up another one in Los Angeles. We’ve done projects for brands, studios, and even theme parks. It’s been a fun extension of our work outside of the Halloween season.”
Looking ahead, Stafford remains focused on creating what he calls “shared experiences” in a world dominated by digital interaction. “So much of our lives are spent in the digital space now, and I think there’s a need for authentic, real-world experiences that bring people together,” he says. His future vision? “We’ll keep expanding beyond Halloween into year-round entertainment, using the same strategies we’ve been perfecting in immersive and interactive experiences. It’s about creating moments that people can’t get through a screen—something that brings them together in person.”
For Stafford, Halloween remains the ideal testing ground for these immersive experiences. “We’ve been doing 'immersive' years before it was cool! Now, it’s about taking those strategies and applying them to other seasons or year-round activities.”
Despite the push for year-round offerings, Stafford isn’t ready to leave Halloween behind just yet. “Halloween is still growing, not just here in the U.S., but around the world. More people are celebrating it every year, and it’s becoming one of the biggest holidays, second only to Christmas. We see it in the demand for Halloween entertainment, and it doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon.”
