SALEM - Salem welcomed a record-breaking amount of visitors in October this year! Record breaking Halloween Over one million people visited the spooky city during October, an 8.6% increase from 2023. The city also welcomed 87,351 visitors on Halloween, up more than 37% from 2023.
Officials credited the extremely warm weather throughout the month of October for luring bigger crowds to the haunted city. "The beautiful warm weather on Halloween had an impact on how many folks came to celebrate with us. My husband, daughter, and I gave out 1,200 pieces of candy in an hour and 20 minutes!" Executive Director of Destination Salem Ashley Judge said.
"This year we had the opportunity to share the city we all love with more visitors than ever," Mayor Dominick Pangallo said. "Welcoming so many visitors to our community is no small feat, and we're constantly reviewing ways we can improve on how we manage it all." On an average weekend in October Salem welcomed anywhere from 65,000 to 100,000 visitors.
Prepared for large amounts of visitors Salem was prepared for the large crowds that gathered in the Witch City for celebrations. Mayor Pangallo urged tourists to consider taking public transportation instead of driving due to limited parking, and troublesome traffic. Extra commuter rail and ferry service ran to the city throughout October.
The town only has around 4,000 parking spots available and used more parking enforcement to make sure tourists were not parking in designated residentia.