Event Spotlight · Fall 2026
Salem Haunted Happenings 2026: Parades, Witch Hats and How to Do October in Salem Right
Every October, Salem, Massachusetts, gives the whole month to Halloween, and this year the city is also turning 400. Salem Haunted Happenings runs October 1 - 31, 2026, opening with a parade on October 1 and ending with a 400-drone show over the North River on Halloween night. In between: a night market in the pines, a witch-hat world record attempt and the real history of 1692. Here’s how to make the most of it.
From a 1982 weekend to a month-long October
Destination Salem, the city’s official tourism organization, says Haunted Happenings began in 1982 as a weekend festival and grew into a month-long celebration of ghost tours, psychic readings, costume balls and haunted harbor cruises. Salem’s modern Witch and Pagan communities also mark Samhain and share their traditions with visitors. The events themselves come from many different organizers: the Salem Chamber of Commerce runs the Grand Parade, Salem Main Streets the pet parade and The Black Veil the Night Faire.
2026 carries extra weight. In the autumn of 1626, Roger Conant began the settlement that became Salem. The city’s Salem 400+ commemoration notes that the land was already Naumkeag, a "fishing place" where Indigenous people lived for centuries, and it acknowledges the Massachusett Tribe. Several of this year’s events are tied to the anniversary.
The 2026 highlights, in order
- Haunted Happenings Grand Parade, Thursday, October 1, 6:30 PM. The Salem Chamber’s 29th annual parade has the theme "Old-School Halloween" and runs from Shetland Park on Congress Street through downtown to Salem Common. Safety barriers line the whole route.
- Howl-o-ween Pet Parade, Saturday, October 10, on Derby Wharf. Registration opens at 10:30 AM and the parade steps off around 11. It’s free to watch.
- Salem Night Faire, October 16, 17, 23 and 24, 5 to 10 PM, at Salem’s Pioneer Village: lantern-lit paths with artisans, performers, food trucks and a biergarten, presented by The Black Veil. Door sales are cash only.
- Witch Hats on the Wharf, Saturday, October 17, 11 AM. For the 400th, the City of Salem, Salem Maritime National Historical Park and Destination Salem invite everyone in a witch hat to fill Derby Wharf for a drone photo and world record attempt. The city is selling special-edition Salem 400 witch hats to benefit HAWC.
- Haunted Speakeasy, Saturday, October 24, 6 to 10 PM: a 1920s-style ball inside 221-year-old Hamilton Hall.
- Halloween, Saturday, October 31: live music on downtown stages from noon, then the finale at 10 PM, a drone show with 400 drones over the North River.
The history behind it: 1692
Salem’s Halloween identity comes from a real tragedy. Destination Salem’s account: in January 1692, the daughter and niece of the Reverend Samuel Parris of Salem Village fell ill, and the village doctor diagnosed bewitchment. Accusations spread, prisons filled with more than 150 people, and 19 men and women were hanged. One man was pressed to death, and several others died in prison. Bridget Bishop, the first woman executed, lived in downtown Salem.
The quietest stop in town is the Salem Witch Trials Memorial on Liberty Street, beside the Old Burying Point (Charter Street Cemetery). Granite benches carry the names of the 20 people executed. It’s free to visit.
Where to eat and what to take home
Destination Salem’s advice is to stay flexible: many restaurants are first-come, first-served in October, so if your first pick is full, try somewhere off Essex Street. Seafood is the local specialty, from lobster rolls to chowder. For sweets, Ye Olde Pepper Candy Companie at 122 Derby Street calls itself America’s oldest candy company, in business since 1806. Its Gibralters (lemon or peppermint) are, in the company’s words, the first commercially sold candies in America, and its Blackjacks are still made by hand from the original recipe. Kakawa Chocolate House on Essex Street is on the city’s sweets list too.
Getting there, parking and Halloween night
- Don’t drive downtown. The city’s October traffic plan asks visitors not to drive into downtown Salem, especially on weekends: traffic is heavy and parking is severely limited.
- Train: The MBTA Commuter Rail’s Newburyport/Rockport line takes about 30 minutes from Boston’s North Station, or about 5 minutes from downtown Beverly.
- Ferry: The seasonal Salem Ferry runs from Boston’s Long Wharf in under an hour and docks at 10 Blaney Street, a short walk from downtown.
- Parking: The city offers free parking on Saturdays, Sundays and Indigenous Peoples’ Day at 108 Jefferson Avenue, about a 5-minute walk into downtown. Check salem.org for garage rates.
- Halloween: Downtown road closures start no later than noon on Saturday, October 31, and may start earlier depending on crowds. The city will also use harder barricades, more police and counter-drone measures, and it can close roads at any time for safety.
- Getting around: Downtown is about a mile across, 20 to 30 minutes on foot. Follow the Salem Heritage Trail, the painted line on the sidewalks, and download the Destination Salem app for restrooms, parking and live updates.
- What to bring: Comfortable shoes and layers. Destination Salem puts October’s average high at 62 and low at 45, and events go on rain or shine. Reserve tours and attractions ahead (Destination Salem says popular ones can sell out), and go midweek or early in the day if you can.
- Accessibility: Cars with a disability placard park free at all metered spots, and Destination Salem suggests reserving a wheelchair rental (Mobility2rent) before you arrive. Service animals are welcome in downtown businesses.
Make a trip of it: Salem beyond Essex Street
If you have a day to spare, a few ideas:
- Salem Maritime National Historical Park. Established in 1938 as the first National Historic Site in the country, it covers nine acres and 12 historic structures on the waterfront, per the National Park Service. Walk out Derby Wharf to the Derby Wharf Light, first lit in 1871, and see the tall ship Friendship of Salem.
- The House of the Seven Gables. Merchant John Turner built it on Salem Harbor in 1668, and it inspired Nathaniel Hawthorne’s 1851 novel. It’s open daily.
- Peabody Essex Museum. Art and culture from around the world, including Yin Yu Tang, a 200-year-old Chinese house moved to Salem. The museum is open Thursday through Monday.
- Chestnut Street and the Ropes Mansion garden. Chestnut Street is lined with Federal-style merchants’ homes from the early 1800s. The Colonial Revival garden behind the Ropes Mansion (Allison’s house in Hocus Pocus) is free and open dawn to dusk.
- Punto Urban Art Museum. 75 large-scale murals across the Point neighborhood, free to walk.
Also on the calendar nearby
Three more events on our calendar fall during Haunted Happenings:
Topsfield Fair
Eleven days of animals, a midway, flowers and produce, and the All New England Giant Pumpkin Weigh-Off, which began here in 1984. In 2012 the fair weighed the world’s first one-ton pumpkin, 2,009 pounds. The fair has partnered with Keolis massAdventures on train trips.
Salem Night Faire
Four nights of lantern-lit paths, artisans, performers and folklore at Salem’s Pioneer Village, 5 to 10 PM. Door sales are cash only.
Howl-o-ween Pet Parade
Costumed dogs, cats, lizards and bunnies on Derby Wharf, with a costume contest and prizes. Registration opens at 10:30 AM, and the donations support Salem Main Streets’ community programs.
Before you go
Dates, times and an add-to-calendar link: Salem Haunted Happenings on USA Fest Bot
More Halloween events are on our Halloween events page, or browse Massachusetts events.
Event times, road closures and parking can change during October. Confirm with Destination Salem at hauntedhappenings.org before you go.
Quick answers
When is Salem Haunted Happenings in 2026?
October 1 - 31, 2026, across downtown Salem, Mass., per our listing. The Grand Parade opens it on Thursday, October 1, at 6:30 PM.
What’s the best way to get to Salem in October?
By train or ferry. The MBTA Commuter Rail takes about 30 minutes from North Station, and the Salem Ferry runs from Boston’s Long Wharf in under an hour. The city asks visitors not to drive downtown, especially on weekends.
Is there free parking?
The city offers free parking on Saturdays, Sundays and Indigenous Peoples’ Day at 108 Jefferson Avenue, about a 5-minute walk from downtown.
What happens on Halloween night?
Halloween is a Saturday this year. Live music starts at noon on downtown stages, road closures begin by noon, and the night ends with a 400-drone show over the North River at 10 PM.
What is Witch Hats on the Wharf?
A Salem 400 world record attempt on Saturday, October 17, at 11 AM, when people in witch hats fill Derby Wharf for a drone photo.
USA Fest Bot is not affiliated with this event or any event mentioned here and does not sell tickets. Found a detail that has changed? Send a correction.