Public Safety on Halloween

NEW RULES FOR HALLOWEEN IN SALEM

City of Salem advises visitors to be safe, use common sense,

and be prepared to leave at the end of the evening

The City of Salem is encouraging participants in Salem’s Halloween night festivities to be safe and considerate during their celebration of all things haunted, spooky and bewitching.

Halloween night is filled with costume balls, festivals, dramatic presentations, ghost stories, walking tours, and parties. Visitors are advised to make reservations for tickets events early, as most will sell out.

The schedule of public events is as follows:

7:00-10:00 pm - Live music around town featuring the Undercover Band on Front Street and Grateful Ted on Hawthorne Boulevard;

10:30 pm - Halloween Finale presented by VDA Productions at Federal & Washington Streets, near the MBTA Commuter Rail station, followed by fireworks over the North River.

11:24 pm - Final train departs to North Station, Boston

11:26 pm - Final train departs to Newburyport

12:38 am - Final train departs to Rockport

The MBTA has added additional train service for Halloween night, and will be adding a temporary loading platform that will enable northbound and southbound trains to service Salem depot simultaneously. Visit MBTA.com for the complete expanded schedule of services for Haunted Happenings.

Those planning to celebrate Halloween in Salem are reminded of the following:

• Omit any weapons – fake and real – from costumes, as they will be confiscated;
• Public consumption of alcohol is strictly prohibited and will not be tolerated;
• Salem is a residential city – please be considerate of private property and downtown residents;
• The finale at 10:30 PM is the conclusion of the public Halloween celebration . Please note that the streets will be closed after the fireworks and in conjunction with the final trains departing Salem . The Police and Public Works Departments will be clearing all streets and sidewalks so visitors should be prepared to depart Salem following the closing ceremony;
• To make the most of the public Salem Halloween experience, people are encourage to arrive no later than 8:30 pm, and should plan to depart after the finale at 10: 50 pm.;
• From October 29 – November 1 citations for illegal behavior – including public drinking, vandalism, and littering – will have tripled fines, up to $300, associated with them..

The Halloween holiday attracts tens of thousands of costumed revelers to Salem to visit attractions and partake in the Fall festivities. While the vast majority of visitors enjoy their time here without incident, there are some that take advantage of this public gathering and end up causing harm to the area, themselves or others. Please know that the City strongly discourages disorderly behavior (such as drinking in public, littering and random acts of vandalism) and will penalize offenders to the maximum amount allowed under the law both civilly and criminally. Please help us maintain a fun and safe downtown environment on Halloween evening!

For complete information on Salem Haunted Happenings and Halloween night, please visit Salem.com and HauntedHappenings.org.