It’s the busiest time of year for now witch-friendly Salem, who this month celebrates 40 years of their Haunted Happenings celebrations.
Half a million people flock to Salem each October to celebrate Halloween and the city’s spooky history, including its 1692 witch trials, but new anniversary-themed events and the spellbinding sequel to “Hocus Pocus” are expected to attract even larger crowds.
“The 40th anniversary of Salem Haunted Happenings, the release of ‘Hocus Pocus 2,’ the celebration of ParaNorman’s 10th anniversary, and growing enthusiasm for travel should all make October 2022 the biggest month yet,” said declared Destination Salem.
Visitors looking for a haunted exercise can pick their poison when it comes to themed walks and tours. Nightly ghost tours covering “Salem’s Darkest History” can be booked through a number of different outlets.
Those looking for magic, rather than a ghost sighting, can join the “Real Salem Witches” for a Salem Witches Walk, billed as the “only magic tour” in town.
After being immersed in the paranormal, weary travelers may be looking for a well-deserved break and can seek out the “intrigue, scandal and murder” that make up the rest of the city’s history through ” Tragedy and Triumph: Tales of Blood and “Treasure in Salem” Tour.
Other options include walking through haunted houses or embarking on haunted harbor cruises, getting a psychic reading, communicating with the dead through seances, or visiting museums and attractions, some of which feature witch trial re-enactments. of Salem.
But it’s not just the city looking to capitalize on the annual Haunted Happenings storyline, which comprises a big chunk of the nearly $140 million Destination Salem says tourists spend there each year.
Short-term rental company Airbnb has been working with the Sanderson sisters on the heels of their last appearance in “Hocus Pocus 2.”
“It’s a whole lot of hocus pocus at the Sanderson sisters’ cottage, where for the very first time guests can go wild this Halloween season when the spellbinding, soul-stealing trio invite visitors into the Halloween spirit with an overnight stay at the scene of their storylines,” Airbnb spokeswoman Lisa Cohen said.
Cohen said the sisters’ home was “recreated as if frozen in time for 300 years” in the remote woods of Salem.
Prospective guests can start asking for a reservation at 1 p.m. on October 12, but only two will be chosen for an exclusive $31-a-night stay at the charming cottage, where the floor creaks and the closets are filled with owl blood, a said Cohen. .
“We all know that the story of the Sanderson sisters might not have ended when we crumbled to dust, nor would our shenanigans,” said Kathy Najimy, who plays Mary Sanderson in the films.
“What better way to celebrate the season than welcoming guests to the trio’s historic haunt for a night they’ll remember for years to come?”
For those in need of more Halloween after the end of October, a paranormal and horror convention, dubbed “Salem ParaConn”, will be held at Salem State University on the weekend of the 12th and 13th november.
Wizard and clairvoyant Nick Grossmann said he had explored haunted places in Massachusetts ahead of next month’s convention and ‘can honestly say that (the) place is loaded with spirits, anomalies and apparitions’ .
“I think of Salem as I see New Orleans,” Grossmann said. “These are two of the most interesting places in America for fans and devotees of the supernatural.”
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