This annual list of the best trampoline park franchises was revised and updated on April 14, 2021.
Trampoline parks were one of the fun, unexpected leisure trends of the 2010s. Consisting of a large room filled wall to wall with trampolines, they create a playful space where people can defy gravity and get a giggle out of flinging themselves around. Fifteen years ago, they barely existed, but now there are nearly a thousand across the US. By 2018, the industry had reached $1.4 billion in revenue around the world and was forecast to reach $6.9 billion by 2028.
Part of the reason why indoor trampoline parks have exploded in popularity is because of the different and distinct target markets they can serve. Kids love bouncing, so they make for a good family entertainment stream of revenue. But there are also all kinds of exercises that can be done using the trampolines, which make for a whole revenue stream around fitness buffs. Then there are the extreme sports types, who can get their game on with all kinds of crazy competitions, the most popular of which is extreme dodgeball. It’s rare to have this much diversity of customers being served through a single business model.
Rising disposable income and a desire for healthier living helped drive the industry’s growth in the 2010s, as people embraced trampolining as a fun form of exercise. The average age of trampoline park users is rising, as more adults join kids in jumping as a family activity or as a form of exercise.
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused problems for trampoline parks, as they had to shut down to stop the spread of the disease. With vaccines rolling out and the economy recovering, trampoline parks will be looking to reopen and expand. But there is a risk that they will see fewer customers, due to a fall in disposable income and leisure habits changed by the pandemic.
High set-up costs mean that this isn’t one of the simplest industries to enter. There are also concerns about injuries, and though the rate of injury is roughly equivalent to that for swimming pools, the novelty of trampoline parks can make people more nervous. Because they’re a relatively recent phenomenon, the parks are largely unregulated, so it falls on the business owner to establish and maintain critical safety standards. Though some adults use trampolines, 77% of jumpers are 17 or younger, so questions around child welfare also have to be taken into account when making plans for the business.
In spite of the media highlighting the problems with trampoline parks, many people love going to a place where they can literally bounce off the walls and have all kinds of crazy fun. Different brands go to great lengths to keep coming up with different kinds of attractions, programs, and innovative offerings to keep things fresh. If you can tap into a local market of lively kids, and build a plan to grow by drawing in more adults, then this could be your chance to run a franchise with real novelty value.
The Top 5 Trampoline Park Franchises of 2021
1. Sky Zone
Sky Zone was the first franchise on the scene, installing its first trampoline park in Las Vegas in 2004. And its innovative design for trampoline courts is protected by US Patent 5,624,122. New locations of Sky Zone have become profitable in just weeks, which is unheard of in most franchise business models.
Sky Zone locations offer a huge range of programs and activities, but is best known for sponsoring the Ultimate Dodgeball Championship where the top 30+ teams competed for cash prizes. After seven years of success, Sky Zone inexplicably canceled the event, though it say it’s working on other ideas for major competitive events. Its most recent offerings of fun games include Skywars (epic team strategic battles with foam ball or foam dart blasters) and Glow (dance club atmosphere with lasers and black lights).
Founded in 2004 by Rick Platt in Las Vegas and franchising since 2009, the number of locations has expanded rapidly to 210 but has declined to the current total of 188, of which 26 are company-owned and 35 are located outside the US.
2. Urban Air Adventure Park
Urban Air Adventure Park is squarely focused on kids, youth, and families. Birthday parties have become a core offering, along with the Friday Night Glow Party with lasers, strobes, and black lights. Some locations are incorporating an Indoor Skydiving attraction (a kind of vertical wind tunnel that keeps you suspended in mid-air) and/or an Indoor Sky Rider Coaster (a kind of zip line attraction).
Most locations offer some combination of the following attractions: Trampoline freestyle open jump areas, the Apex (with trampolines on both the floor and walls), Runways (super-long trampolines great for gymnasts, tumblers, and cheerleaders), Dropzone (with giant air bag for soft landings), slam dunk track, trampoline dodgeball arenas, the Urban Warrior Obstacle Course, The TUBES indoor playground, The Warrior Battle Beam, Climbing Walls Indoor Ropes Course, and Arcade.
Founded in 2011 and franchising since 2014, the number of locations has risen quickly to the current total of 136 (up from the previously reported total of 97), of which two are company-owned and one is located outside the US.
3. Rockin’ Jump
Rockin’ Jump also has a similar focus on kids, youth, families, and fun parties. This chain has introduced a much better food option than other companies with its own Rockin’ Café restaurants with fresh-baked, made-to-order pizzas, sandwiches, salads, pretzels, and beverages.
Attractions include an Open Jump Area for the younger kids, including a pit with foam blocks for soft landings. Other attractions include obstacle courses, X-Beam Jousting, soft-toss Dodgeball Arena, 360 Slam Dunk basketball goal, the Vertical Ops rock-climbing wall, and more.
Two new attractions that feature interactive gaming elements are ValoJump (jumper moves are replicated on the video screen in a game) and ValoClimb (a virtual ball is projected onto the climbing wall and two climbers hit it back and forth to each other as they climb).
Founded in 2010 by Marc Collopy, Drew Wilson, and their families in the San Francisco Bay Area and franchising since 2013, the number of locations has quickly risen to 42 as listed on the company website.
4. Launch Trampoline Park
Launch Trampoline Park recently acquired Michigan-based AirTime Trampoline and Game Park with its five locations in the Great Lakes State. Launch takes care to schedule age-specific times for college students, teens, and younger kids. It also offers birthday parties, group exercise classes, and corporate events.
Core attractions include dodgeball, cliffhanger (climbing wall), the Battle Pit, Fury Laser Tag, Paradox VR, and The Challenger obstacle course. There are also areas for Slam Dunk Basketball, the Foam Pit for spectacular acrobatics, and the Kid’s Court for younger jumpers.
Its on-site restaurant concept, Launch Café, includes custom Krave pizzas along with salads and other food items. The Launch Arcade includes video and other games.
Founded in 2012 by retired New England Patriots cornerback Ty Law in Warwick, Rhode Island and franchising since 2013, the number of locations currently stands at 34 (up from the previously reported total of 30), of which three are company-owned and all are located in the US.
5. Big Air Trampoline Park
Big Air Trampoline Park has many of the same jumping attractions as other companies, including a primary trampoline court, foam pit, dodgeball area, basketball dunk area, Battlebeam combat, climbing wall, and so on. More innovative offerings include Lazer Maze where players must bounce across a dark room of trampolines and its web of laser beams without breaking any of them. A leaderboard showcases high scores and gameplay action on digital screens for those waiting to take their turn.
Other attractions include ninja-warrior obstacle courses, a wipeout-style attraction, trapezes, ropes courses, and more. There are designated times and areas for the younger children to bounce safely.
Founded in 2012 by Greg Briggs in Laguna Hills, California and franchising since 2015, the company website currently lists 11 locations open and another three as “coming soon.”
An Important Note About Our Methodology
The franchises on this list were ranked according to the number of units in the franchise system. If you are a prospective franchisee searching for franchise opportunities that meet or exceed certain performance benchmarks for sales, profits, and return on investment, please check out this list of America’s Most Lucrative Franchises.
Question: Thanks for a good website. Here a question though: In your video with the 3KPIs for a potentially very good franchise was the last ratio “2/1 sales to investment ratio”. So my question is: In that investment dollars is that TOTAL investment including borrowed funds or just the money WE put into it? So if a franchise requires e.g. $3M total investment, but just $500k of our money but has an estimated $3M annual sales, would that be 1/1 or 1/6? Thanks a lot.
Hi Peter,
The investment dollars that we use in calculating the ratio is the total investment dollars (including borrowed funds), since each franchisee will finance their investment differently.
Best regards,
Ambrosio