halloween

If You Got it, Haunt it: Eight Fun Gym Halloween Ideas

October is a great time to ramp up your member experience. Motivate your members and connect your community with this list of fun gym Halloween ideas.

Monica Hilton
October 1, 2024
If You Got it, Haunt it: Eight Fun Gym Halloween Ideas
TL;DR
October is a great time to ramp up your member experience. Motivate your members and connect your community with this list of fun gym Halloween ideas.

Creativity goes a long way in providing the ultimate member experience at your gym. And October brings a full month of opportunities for your community to have a scary-good time with some gym Halloween fun!

Statistically, November and December are slower months in the fitness industry. So this is your chance to keep people engaged and consistent. Here are eight gym ideas to motivate and connect your community this Halloween.

Eight Creative Gym Halloween Ideas.

KS Athletic Club gym halloween
KS Athletic Club crushes the Halloween celebration. (Photo credit: KS Athletic Club)

1. Power Snatches and Pumpkin Patches.

Challenge your members this Halloween by hosting a gym competition. Most gyms use in-house comps as a way to test members’ fitness levels in a friendly atmosphere.

First, decide if you want the event to be for individuals or teams. Second, program two to three WODs and a fun floater. Make the floater something fun and Halloween-related. Some examples could include using large pumpkins to replace sandbags or a cornhole game. And third, consider including a fundraising component to your competition, raising money based on the participation or work completed.

2. Eat, Drink and Be Scary.

After your gym Halloween competition, host a healthy potluck or trick-or-treat event. Your community can pitch in with a variety of foods. Or consider a chili cook-off, where members can volunteer to make their “famous” recipe.

Others can bring healthy side dishes or baked goods like pumpkin bars. Be sure to organize who’s bringing what in advance so you don’t have 50 pumpkin bar trays without a main course.

3. That Gym Halloween Drip.

For some reason, costumes always go over well. There’s something about sweating together that brings people together, but sweating in a costume? That’s community gold.

Get coaches to participate as well, running themed classes for a week or having people dress up for one big event. Involve costumes just for the fun of it, or organize a full-on costume contest. Then you can have some fun with prizes, offering either bragging rights or tickets to a local haunted house.

Also, consider offering limited edition, gym Halloween merchandise. Not only is a holiday-themed gym apparel order great for brand awareness, but you can drive some additional revenue as well.

4. The Monster Mash.

Set the mood for your events with the perfect playlists. During the month of October, you can find some great Halloween-themed playlists with a solid beat on apps like FitRadio.

If Halloween music isn’t the right vibe to get people hyped for workouts, thrown it on during warm-up and cool-down time.

South Mountain Community Fitness Halloween costumes
The gym community at SMCF understood the assignment. (Photo credit: South Mountain Community Fitness)

5. Squad Ghouls.

Fitness is always better with friends. And chances are, your members are always looking for reasons to invite new friends. So doing fun gym Halloween things, eating delicious food and dressing up like a vampire are all the reasons they need!

Offer a few bring-a-friend classes or events throughout October or build it into your gym referral program. Limit the number of these events so people don’t just “wait for the next one.” Level it up with incentives for members to invite friends. Then offer prizes for the most referrals or giveaways for everyone during certain events.

6. Come In For a Spell.

Offer a creative, Halloween (or fall) membership incentive. Because let’s face it: Any month is a good month to get new members through the door. But leading into those slower months of the year, a good incentive always helps.

If you’re running a month full of fun events, why not ask members to tell their friends? This is an especially good time to promote your gym onboarding program. Create an irresistible offer so new guests have no choice but to join the fun.

7. Creepin’ It Real at Your Gym Halloween Events.

It’s time to get creative with names and decor. Because Halloween is a vibe. From WODs and classes to events and equipment, you’re only limited by your imagination.

Is that a PVC pipe? Not this month. It’s a broomstick. Need some fun name ideas for WODs? The list in this very blog gives you eight to start with. So think about giving your gym members an experience this month, versus just a class.

Legacy Athletics Halloween event
Celebrating Halloween is a family affair at Legacy Athletics. (Photo credit: Legacy Athletics)

8. Get This Party Startled.

Plan a Halloween-related community event outside the walls of your gym. Start by making a list of fall events like corn mazes, haunted houses, etc. Use your gym social media planner to post the options and let members vote, or add their own options. Once you’ve decided on an event, organize your night out and hit the town!

Pro Tip: Use PushPress Grow to spread the word about updates and events to your entire gym community. Book a demo with our team today to find out more!

Community events are a great way for people to make new friends and connect with others outside their typical class time. But beware: Your members might have so much fun that they’ll want to do this more often. And that’s how you know you’ve created a screaming-good member experience.

In Summary: Create a Happenin’ Gym Halloween.

Motivate your members and connect your community with this list of fun gym Halloween ideas. Host an in-house competition, get out of the gym with a community event and tell members to invite friends.

Throw in some fun costumes, music and decorations. Get creative, have some fun and give ‘em pumpkin to talk about.

Monica Hilton

Monica is our Content Manager extraordinaire for PushPress. She also owns her gym in Indianapolis, Together We Rise CrossFit, which she opened in 2014 and previously worked in IndyCar racing.

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