Friday the 13th draws crowds to SLC’s Nightmare on 13th
Oct 13, 2023, 4:31 PM | Updated: 6:45 pm

A display of pumpkins is located at Nightmare on 13th in Salt Lake City, Utah. Friday the 13th, the unluckiest day to many has historically given a long list of unlucky tragedies. In Utah, it's a sell-out night for haunted attractions.(Nightmare on 13th)
(Nightmare on 13th)
SALT LAKE CITY — From a killer cyclone that claimed more than 300,000 lives in Bangladesh in 1970, to the murder of rapper Tupac Shakur in 1996, the list of tragic and unlucky events on Friday the 13th is long. But, in Utah, it’s a big night for haunted attractions.
Phil Wright with Nightmare on 13th said it’s always a sellout on Friday the 13th.
“It definitely makes our crowds much, much bigger, so we have to beef up our personnel.. and be a lot more attentive management-wise,” he said. “It’s great for guests because they get to come through on a really fun night and … we’ve got the best stuff available … it’s a good time.”
Wright shared how sometimes the notorious day’s lore brings an extra layer of fright for everyone with tickets to the haunted house on Friday.
“We do have areas in the haunted house that do get comments about, you know, feelings or even seeing things,” he said. “Even myself … It definitely has a very different vibe than the rest of the haunted house.”
Whether you’re superstitious or not, Friday the 13th’s history of unlucky events is a favorite for the fear-mongers.
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