Taking the family to a trampoline park over Thanksgiving

The turkey is leftovers by Friday morning, the cousins are still in town, and the kids are bouncing off the couch. A trampoline park can burn off that energy, and over Thanksgiving break it usually works if you plan the day. Most parks close on Thanksgiving Day itself. Black Friday and the weekend are fair game, but they're busy. Hours change from one location to the next, and every jumper needs a waiver, grip socks and a ticket. Here's how to plan the outing and how to keep the kids safer once they're on the mats.

Can you go over Thanksgiving, and when?

Thanksgiving 2026 falls on Thursday, Nov. 26, and Black Friday is Nov. 27. Expect Thursday to be a day off for the parks too. Get Air Harrisburg lists itself as "Closed all day" on Nov. 26, 2026, and Sky Zone Clermont says it closes on Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter and July 4th.

Friday and the weekend are harder to call. Neither Sky Zone's nor Urban Air's main FAQ lists holiday hours, so each location posts its own, and Black Friday schedules can differ even between two parks of the same brand in the same metro area. Some open early for the holiday crowd, and others keep normal hours.

The safest move is to check your local park's own page, not the national site. Look for a "holiday hours" link, and if the times matter, call. Holiday-hours pages are often out of date. One Sky Zone location's page, for example, still listed only late-December dates from the year before and nothing for Thanksgiving. Confirm again in the week of Thanksgiving, after Halloween is over and parks have had time to post the November schedule.

Booking and crowds

When you know the park is open, book. Sky Zone puts it plainly: "To avoid lines and ensure your jump time is reserved, it is best to book online." Urban Air gives the same advice. On a school-free Friday when half the neighborhood has the same idea, walk-in slots can sell out or come with a long wait. Plan on Black Friday and Saturday being the busiest days of the break. If you're flexible, an early session usually gets you more room on the courts.

Do the waivers before you leave the house. Urban Air requires a waiver for every customer, which can be signed online in advance and only has to be signed once. Sky Zone requires one too, online or at check-in, and anyone under 18 needs a parent or guardian to sign. That matters at Thanksgiving: if an aunt is taking the cousins, their own parent may need to sign before the trip.

Black Friday is also when some parks sell discounted annual passes. In 2025, Sky Zone Clermont advertised an annual pass normally priced at $169.99 for $99.99 for a limited time, with 90 minutes of jumping a day. That's last year's offer at one location. As of October 2026, 2026 deals haven't been announced, and prices vary by park. If your family jumps often, watch your local park's site in late November.

What to bring and what to expect for small kids

Grip socks. Parks require their own branded grip socks. At Urban Air, every guest needs Urban Air socks. Memberships include one pair on the first visit only, and extra pairs cost extra. Hang on to the socks from your last visit and bring them, because forgotten pairs get bought again at the counter.

Height limits. Not every attraction is open to every kid. At Urban Air, Warrior attractions and climbing walls need a minimum height of 41 inches, the ropes course and Sky Rider need 48 inches, and the Tubes have a maximum height of 52 inches. Measure your kids at home so a short or tall child isn't caught off guard at the entrance.

Toddler areas and sessions. Little kids shouldn't be bouncing next to teenagers (more on why below), and both big chains have options for them:

• Urban Air's Bowl is a trampoline area for ages 7 and under.
• Sky Zone runs Little Leapers, a toddler-only event. It's on a set schedule, so check whether your park has a session over the holiday weekend.

Everyone who jumps pays. Being small doesn't make a jumper free. Urban Air charges participant rates to anyone who jumps or uses attractions, including children 2 and under. If grandparents just want to watch, ask the park how it handles spectators. If a toddler gets on a mat, plan to pay for a ticket.

Injury facts and what pediatricians say

Trampoline parks are fun, and they do put kids in the emergency room. It helps to know the numbers before you go.

A study published in Pediatrics estimated that US emergency-room visits for trampoline-park injuries rose from 581 in 2010 to 6,932 in 2014. That rise happened as the industry grew: the number of US trampoline parks went from about 35 to 40 in 2011 to roughly 280 in 2014. Home trampolines still account for most injuries. Trampolines overall averaged about 92,000 ER visits a year over the same 2010–2014 period, mostly at home.

The details for small children stand out. Among kids under 6 hurt at parks, fractures made up nearly half of all injuries, and dislocations were more than twice as likely at parks as at home. Young bones and big forces don't mix well.

These figures cover 2010 to 2014, and the industry has grown since, so treat them as a picture of the risk rather than a current count.

The American Academy of Pediatrics' 2012 policy statement on trampolines makes no exception for parks. It says "the same cautions recommended for home trampoline use apply to trampolines in jump parks." The AAP endorses trampolines only as part of a structured training program with coaching and safety measures in place, not as casual play.

Two other findings from that AAP report shape the rules below:

• About three-quarters of trampoline injuries happen when more than one person is on the mat.
• Many injuries happen while adults are watching.

None of this means you have to cancel the outing. It means the choices you make at the park, like who jumps where and with whom, matter more than how closely you're watching.

Simple safety rules for the day

Go over these in the car, before anyone sees the foam pit.

1. One jumper per trampoline. Most injuries happen with multiple people on the mat, often when a smaller kid gets bounced by a bigger one. Each kid gets their own square.
2. No flips or somersaults. Leave tricks to people in coached programs. Landing on your head or neck is how the worst trampoline injuries happen.
3. Match the session to your kids' sizes. Put under-7s in the toddler area or a toddler session, not open courts full of teens. If your group mixes ages, split up instead of keeping everyone together.
4. Follow the park's posted rules and the court monitors. Height limits and attraction rules exist for a reason.
5. Don't count on watching to keep kids safe. The AAP notes many injuries happen with adults right there. Watch anyway, but rely on the first three rules to do the real work.
6. Take breaks. Tired legs land badly. A water break every so often keeps jumpers sharper.

Quick checklist

• Check hours on your local park's page, expect Thanksgiving Day to be closed, and call to confirm Black Friday and weekend hours.
• Book online for your time slot, especially Friday and Saturday.
• Sign waivers ahead of time. A parent or guardian signs for anyone under 18.
• Pack grip socks from past visits, plus water.
• Measure heights for attractions with limits.
• Pick the right session for small kids, like Urban Air's Bowl or Sky Zone's Little Leapers.
• Set the rules in the car: one per trampoline, no flips, take breaks.
• Watch for Black Friday pass deals if you jump often.

Sources (8)

• Get Air Harrisburg
• Sky Zone Clermont – Black Friday Sale
• Sky Zone FAQ
• Sky Zone Montgomery – Holiday Hours
• Urban Air FAQ
• Scientific American – Trampoline Parks Tied to Jump in Emergency Room Visits
• CBS Philadelphia – Report: Trampoline-Related Injuries Soaring Nationwide
• HealthDay – Doctors to Parents: No Trampolines

Photo: Trampoline Kids by RichardBH, BY 2.0.