How to Value a Trampoline Park or Indoor Entertainment Center in 2026

Trampoline parks exploded onto the entertainment scene in the early 2010s, and a decade later the industry is in full maturation mode. The parks that survived COVID and the inevitable shake-out are legitimate businesses generating real cash flow. But valuing them requires understanding a set of dynamics that are unique to indoor entertainment — from insurance costs that would make most business owners faint to facility leases that can make or break a deal.

I've worked on entertainment venue transactions where the gap between seller expectations and buyer reality was $2 million. Here's how to avoid that disconnect.

What Trampoline Parks Actually Sell For

Established trampoline parks and indoor entertainment centers typically trade at 3-5x EBITDA. We use EBITDA rather than SDE because most parks worth selling have graduated past the owner-operator stage — they have general managers, shift leads, and party coordinators running day-to-day operations.

The range is wide because trampoline parks are capital-intensive, lease-dependent businesses with meaningful operating risk. A park doing $1.5M EBITDA on a long-term lease with diversified attractions might trade at 5x. The same EBITDA in a park with a 3-year lease remaining and aging equipment might struggle to find a buyer at 3x.

Franchise-affiliated parks (Sky Zone, Urban Air, Altitude) sometimes trade at slight premiums because they come with brand recognition, operating playbooks, and marketing support. But the franchise royalty (typically 6-8% of revenue) eats into EBITDA, and the transfer fee and franchisor approval process adds friction to the sale.

Revenue Mix: The Birthday Party Question

Every trampoline park buyer I've worked with asks the same question first: "What percentage of revenue comes from birthday parties?" There's a reason for that.

Birthday party and group event revenueis the highest-margin, most predictable revenue stream in the business. Party packages typically run $300-600 per event, with food and beverage margins above 70% and labor allocated during otherwise slow weekday/afternoon hours. A park generating 25-35% of revenue from parties and events has a fundamentally different (and more valuable) revenue profile than one that's 90% walk-in jump passes.

Jump pass memberships are the emerging metric smart buyers focus on. Monthly memberships ($20-40/month for unlimited jumping) create recurring revenue that smooths out seasonality. Parks with 500+ active memberships have a baseline revenue floor that makes the business less weather- and season-dependent. I've seen membership programs add 0.5x to the EBITDA multiple when they represent 15-20% of total revenue.

Food and beverageis the overlooked profit center. Parks with well-run concession areas or full snack bars generate 15-25% of revenue at 65-75% margins. Buyers see this as easy upside — most parks under-invest in F&B, and a buyer with restaurant experience can meaningfully improve this line.

The Insurance Question

Insurance is the elephant in every trampoline park transaction. General liability premiums for trampoline parks run $150K-$400K annually depending on square footage, attendance, claims history, and state. That's not a typo — insurance can represent 8-15% of revenue.

A buyer's due diligence will focus heavily on your claims history. Parks with zero or minimal claims over a 3-5 year period are dramatically more attractive than those with multiple injury claims, even if the claims were resolved favorably. Insurance carriers are pulling back from the sector, and a park with a clean claims record can actually get coverage at reasonable rates. One with a history of injury lawsuits might find coverage prohibitively expensive — or unavailable.

Your waiver system matters.Digital waivers signed before entry, with clear assumption-of-risk language reviewed by counsel in your specific state, are table stakes. If you're still using paper waivers or have gaps in your waiver database, fix it immediately. Buyers will audit your waiver completion rate, and anything below 99% raises red flags.

Facility and Lease Dynamics

Trampoline parks require 20,000-50,000 square feet of space with high ceilings, heavy-duty HVAC, and commercial zoning that permits entertainment use. These spaces are not interchangeable — moving a trampoline park is effectively rebuilding it from scratch at a cost of $1M-$3M in leasehold improvements and equipment.

That makes the lease the single most important document in the transaction. A buyer needs to see 7-10+ years of remaining lease term (including options) at a rate that supports the economics. If your rent exceeds 12-15% of revenue, the business is over-rented and the EBITDA multiple compresses. If you're at 8-10% with a long lease, that's a genuine asset.

I've seen deals die because the landlord refused to consent to the lease assignment or demanded a rent increase at transfer. Start the landlord conversation early and get assignment language confirmed in writing before you go to market.

What Destroys Trampoline Park Value

Aging attractions.Trampoline foam pits, dodgeball courts, and ninja courses wear out. Pads thin, foam cubes disintegrate, and springs lose tension. If a buyer walks your park and sees worn equipment, they're mentally deducting $200K-$500K in capital expenditure from their offer. Maintain equipment religiously and budget for attraction refreshes every 3-4 years.

Seasonal revenue concentration. Parks that do 40%+ of annual revenue in June-August and December face significant cash flow risk during shoulder months. Buyers discount for seasonality because they still need to service debt in February. Combat this with membership programs, corporate events, school field trips in spring/fall, and weeknight programming.

Competition saturation. If three trampoline parks opened within 15 miles of yours in the last five years, every buyer is going to ask about market saturation. Show your competitive differentiation — unique attractions, better party packages, superior Google reviews — or accept a lower multiple.

Deferred maintenance on the facility. Beyond the attractions themselves, the building matters. HVAC failures in a 50,000 sq ft space are six-figure problems. Roof leaks destroy equipment. Parking lot condition affects first impressions. Buyers hire inspectors, and every deferred issue becomes a negotiation point.

How to Maximize Value Before Selling

Diversify your attractions. Parks that have evolved beyond trampolines into multi-attraction entertainment centers (climbing walls, VR experiences, laser tag, go-karts) trade at higher multiples. The investment pays off in both revenue and valuation.

Build the membership base. Aggressively market your monthly membership program. Even converting 10% of walk-in guests to members changes the revenue profile. Buyers love seeing 500+ recurring memberships on the books.

Invest in your party and events program.Hire a dedicated events coordinator. Build corporate team-building packages. Create premium party tiers. Every dollar of party revenue is worth more than a dollar of walk-in revenue because it's higher-margin and more predictable.

Lock down the lease. If your lease has less than 5 years remaining, negotiate a renewal now. Include assignment language, reasonable rent escalation caps, and options that give a buyer confidence.

Who Buys Trampoline Parks?

The buyer pool breaks into three groups. Individual operators with entertainment or hospitality backgrounds buy single parks as owner-operated businesses. Multi-unit operators who already own one or more entertainment venues acquire parks to build regional portfolios. And franchise groups may acquire your independent park to convert it to a branded concept, or acquire a franchise location to add to their portfolio.

Private equity has dipped into the space (CircusTrix/Altitude being the most visible example), but institutional interest is limited to larger multi-location platforms. A single park generating under $2M EBITDA is likely selling to an individual or small operator.

The Bottom Line

Trampoline park valuation is a story about risk management. Insurance, lease, equipment condition, revenue diversification — these are the factors that separate a 3x deal from a 5x deal. If you've built a well-run park with clean claims history, a long lease, diversified revenue, and maintained attractions, you've built something genuinely valuable. If you've got risk in any of those areas, address it before going to market. The preparation window for entertainment venues is 18-24 months — don't shortcut it.