SALEM – Salem welcomed a record number of visitors in October of this year!
Record-breaking Halloween
More than a million people visited the haunted city in October, an increase of 8.6% from 2023. The city also welcomed 87,351 visitors on Halloween, over 37% more than in 2023.
Officials credited the extremely warm weather during the month of October for attracting larger crowds to the haunted city.
“The beautiful warm weather during Halloween impacted the number of people who came to celebrate with us. My husband, daughter and I handed out 1,200 pieces of candy in an hour and twenty 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,” said Mayor Dominick Pangallo. “Welcoming so many visitors to our community is no small feat, and we are constantly exploring how we can improve the way we manage it all.”
On an average weekend in October, Salem welcomed anywhere from 65,000 to 100,000 visitors.
Prepared for large numbers of visitors
Salem was prepared for the large crowd who gathered in the Witch City for celebrations. Mayor Pangallo urged tourists to consider taking away public transport instead of driving due to limited parking and difficult traffic. Additional commuter rail and ferry services ran to the city in October.
The city only has about 4,000 parking spaces available and has increased parking enforcement to ensure tourists did not park in designated residential areas.
