Hersheypark haunt sliders help drive Dark Nights ticket sales

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Hersheypark Dark Nights success

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Hersheypark reports social media videos featuring Decayed Brigade haunt sliders are helping drive Dark Nights ticket and season pass sales, with visitors traveling internationally.
Dark Nights Halloween attendance at Hersheypark has doubled compared to pre-2021 figures, enabling an extended fall operating calendar and increased in-park spending, including over 4,000 fan photos this fall.
The Decayed Brigade’s viral TikTok presence has transformed the sliders into a year-round marketing asset, boosting Hersheypark's brand in the competitive seasonal attractions market.

Viral performers boost fall demand

As first reported by Business Insider, Hersheypark says the social media popularity of its Decayed Brigade haunt sliders is helping raise awareness of the park and support ticket and season pass sales during its Dark Nights Halloween event.

Quinn Bryner, a spokesperson for Hersheypark, says TikTok comments show viewers planning trips from places including Europe and Australia after discovering the performers online. She says the park has also seen guests buy season passes because of the videos, although Hersheypark stops short of calling the sliders the sole reason for the event's growth.

Bryner says Dark Nights has grown year over year in attendance and ticket sales in the past few years. She adds that the event's popularity has allowed Hersheypark to extend its fall operating calendar, with total Halloween attendance now doubling the numbers achieved before 2021.

The park is also seeing spending opportunities beyond admission. Fryboy and other sliders hold meet-and-greet sessions on weekend nights, with fans waiting as long as an hour for photos, while Hersheypark's professional photography service has taken more than 4,000 fan photos this fall so far.

Social media fandom reshapes haunt entertainment

The Decayed Brigade has become a broader online phenomenon rather than just an in-park attraction. The performers say visitors increasingly tell them they have driven eight hours or more specifically to see them, and some guests stay in their performance area for the entire night.

Hersheypark's own social channels reflect that demand. The park's most-viewed TikTok videos are centered on the sliders, including during the off-season, suggesting the characters now function as a year-round marketing asset for the venue.

Haunt sliding has existed for decades and is closely associated with Knott's Scary Farm in California, where performers developed modified knee pads and gloves to slide toward guests as a scare tactic. Over time, the practice evolved into a more athletic and choreographed form of live entertainment, and Hersheypark's crew has pushed that format into mainstream social media reach.

Brewer Lister, managing director of immersive experiences at Hersheypark, says Fryboy built an iconic character online and helped turn the act into a team-driven attraction alongside Archer and other performers. The viral appeal also reflects a wider internet culture around Halloween, horror aesthetics and fantasy-themed fandoms, giving Hersheypark a distinctive promotional edge in the seasonal attractions market.

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