GREAT WAYS TO SAY THANK YOU TO OUR RESIDENTS
1. Free Admission & Resident Special Offers – 3pm – 9pm
Mayor’s Night Out is a program designed to allow Salem residents to be admitted free of charge (or at a discounted price) to a museum/attraction and any discounted or special offers you would like to provide to Salem residents. The event starts at 3 p.m. on Friday, October 6th.
2. Trick or Treat –- 5:30PM – 7:30PM
As part of Mayor’s Night Out on October 6th, there will be a Trick-or-Treat activity for Salem children that are dressed up in costumes, which has been hugely successful over the past few years. Participating businesses will be passing out candy throughout Downtown Salem, as well as across Pickering Wharf. Trick-or-treaters will be able to walk up to the front of businesses and grab candy as they enjoy the two hour long festivity.
3. Haunted Happenings on Pickering Wharf – Halloween Weekend and Halloween Day
Join local businesses on Pickering Wharf on Halloween Weekend and Halloween Day to enjoy all-day trick-or-treating and special events! Look for posters on windows of stores that are participating.
Road Closures
City of Salem Announces Planned Road Closures for October 2023
The list below outlines the planned and anticipated road closures for October in Salem, including lot closures and traffic impacts from planned special events. The Salem Police will close roadways at any point if they determine they should be closed for public safety reasons.
Note that while there are currently road closures planned downtown for Tuesday, October 31, starting no later than 4:00 p.m., there is a high likelihood that some closures will be made on Friday, October 27 & Saturday October 28, Sunday October 29th, Monday October 30 and potentially on Friday, October 20th through Sunday, October 22nd, as well. Any closures or changes will be announced and posted at salem.com and salempd.org. For real-time traffic and road closure notices, visit twitter.com/SalemMAPolice & twitter.com/CityofSalemMA. You do not need a Twitter account to follow these pages; if you do have a Twitter account, you can subscribe to both feeds at @SalemMAPolice and @CityofSalemMA. The City will also send push notifications about road closures as they happen through the official app, My Salem MA; find the app by searching for “My Salem MA” in your device’s app store. You can also receive real time push notifications through the Destination Salem app. Once the app is downloaded make sure that your push notifications and GPS locater are both turned on.
October 2023: Planned Road Closures and Parking Restrictions
October 5: Grand Opening Parade
The 27th annual Haunted Happenings Grand Parade, produced by the Salem Chamber, takes place on Thursday, October 7th at 6:30 p.m. This year’s reimagined parade is themed “Myths and Legends.” The performances, floats, vehicles, and displays will be stationary, with attendees parading the route to view them all. A complete list of participants and their locations is attached below.
On Thursday temporary parking restrictions will be in place starting at 4:00 p.m. and ending at 9:00 p.m. on the following streets. Vehicles parked in these areas after 4:00 p.m. will be towed.
- Essex Street from Washington Street to Hawthorne Boulevard.
- Front Street both sides from Washington Street to Lafayette Street. (*No parking may start earlier on this street.)
- Parking meter spaces at the intersection of Charter Street, Front Street, and Central Street.
The following streets will be closed to vehicular traffic starting at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. A map of the closure area is also provided below. Please plan your travel accordingly.
- Essex Street from Hawthorne Boulevard to New Liberty Street
- Front Street
- Central Street at the intersection of Front Street and Charter Street to the Essex Street pedestrian mall
- Lafayette Street between Derby Street and Klop Alley
- Charter Street (Salem Housing Authority residents will still have access to their parking lot)
On Thursday evening access to the Museum Place Garage will only be possible via Church Street or St. Peter Street, not from Essex Street.
September 30 October 1, 7 & 8, 14 & 15, 21 & 22, 28 & 29, and 30 & 31:
The following streets will be posted as No Parking zones:
- Washington Square North (Common Fence side only).
- A portion of the metered spaces along Hawthorne Boulevard.
- Metered spaces along Lafayette St. by Fire Headquarters (October 28, 29, 30 & 31).
Essex Street from Hawthorne Boulevard to New Liberty Street will be closed to through traffic and no on-street parking will be allowed from 9am to 10pm every Saturday and Sunday. Essex Street from Barton Square to Washington Street closures will be assessed by the Police Department each weekend. If this portion of the street is closed to vehicular traffic, vehicles will be rerouted to Barton Square to reach Washington Street.
October 14: Salem YMCA Witch City 5K road race starts at 9 am at the Salem Willows. No road closures are planned, however anticipate traffic impacts along the following roadways: Memorial Drive, Essex Street, Route 1A, Route 114 including Hawthorne Boulevard, Derby Street, and Fort Avenue, ending at Restaurant Row.
October 21: Devil’s Chase road race starts at 8am at the Salem Willows soccer field on Fort Avenue. No road closures are planned, however expect traffic impacts until 10:30 am along the route. Route: Restaurant Row (Tennis Courts) to Memorial Drive to Szetela Lane to right to Walking Path before Webb Street. Webb Street left to Andrews Street crossing Washington Square into the Common, exiting at Forrester Street. Washington Square East right to Essex Street, left onto Little Hawthorne Boulevard. Left on Derby Street to Fort Avenue to Winter Island Road. Winter Island Road back to Columbus Square, turning right to Columbus Avenue, right onto Bay View Avenue, left onto Beach Avenue, and left on to Sutton Avenue. Right onto Bay View Avenue, right onto Willows access road, follow walking path around the backside of the Willows by the yacht club, exit back on to Restaurant Row, follow straight up Memorial Drive, right at Szetela Lane to stay on Memorial Drive, left onto Fort Avenue, left onto Memorial Drive by soccer field to finish.
October 31 (TUESDAY): Halloween events will include multiple road closures and heavy traffic impacts for the entire day and night. Visitors are strongly encouraged to take the commuter rail or ferry to get to Salem. Do not plan to drive into downtown Salem. Expect major traffic impacts on Route 114 and Route 1A. Downtown streets will close to all traffic no later than 4pm. Road closures include: Essex Street at Crombie Street and Barton Square to Union Street, Washington Street from New Derby Street to Bridge Street, Federal Street from St. Peter’s Street to North Street, Washington Square North and West from Essex Street to Brown Street, Hawthorne Boulevard, Derby Street, Route 1A, Congress Street near Pickering Wharf, Charter Street, Central Street, Front Street, and Lafayette Street from New Derby Street to Front Street. Bridge Street at Sgt. James Ayube Memorial Drive will also close to all traffic between the westerly overpass ramps and Sgt. James Ayube Memorial Drive from 9:30pm to 11:30pm for the closing fireworks.
All information above is subject to change. The Salem Police Department will close any street at any time if they determine that a public safety issue exists.
Please note: the MBTA Garage will be closed from 6:00 p.m. until 1:00 a.m. on Halloween night, and possibly on October 30. Cars will not be permitted to enter or exit between these hours.
Resident Parking Resources
- For more information about year-round Resident Parking, click here.
- For more information about October Resident Parking, click here.
- October Resident Parking Permits will be mailed to addresses on eligible streets. For a list of qualifying addresses and more information, click here.
- Eligible residents who did not receive a mailed permit can request one (with proof of residency and vehicle registration) at the Parking Office, located at 1 New Liberty Street or at the City Hall Annex, 98 Washington Street, 2nd Floor Traffic & Parking Department during City Hall hours. Year-round Resident Parking Permits can also be purchased at these two locations (with proof of residency and vehicle registration).
- Free resident parking is available when registered at either the kiosk or using the Passport Parking App (with proof of Salem residency) during October weekends and on Sundays outside of October at the following locations:
- Church Street Lots
- Crescent Lot
- Crombie Street Lot
- Old Salem Jail Lot
- It is encouraged to use the Salem MBTA Garage if these locations are full. More information on rates and hours can be found here.
Other City Information
- The City is offering free 30-day BlueBikes passes to Salem residents. Please contact blinard@salem.com for your free code. Click here to learn more information about the BlueBikes program.
- Halloween is on a Tuesday this year. If your regularly scheduled trash and recycling day is Wednesday, the City asks that you do not put your bins out the night before.