Celebrate ‘Halfway to Halloween’ in The Witch City

Hosted by Wicked New England, the inaugural Halfway to Halloween Festival will take place from 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. on May 3, 2025, at Salem’s historic Old Town Hall, with vendors, panel presentations, photo ops, and more.

“Halloween is my favorite day of the year, so I’m always looking for ways to keep the spirit of Halloween around throughout the year,” said event producer and founder Jeff DePaoli, an Attractions contributor. “Growing up, there was nothing like Halloween night in New England with the crisp Autumn air, foliage, trick-or-treating, and other festivities. I hope celebrating Halfway to Halloween with Wicked New England brings back those joy-filled memories for people of all ages who attend.”

Halfway to Halloween Festival Marketplace

The festival’s curated marketplace will include vendors from all over New England (and beyond), who will be offering spooky, scary, macabre, and Halloween-themed merchandise from apparel, jewelry, and pet accessories to artwork, bath goods, apothecary items, and much more.

Exclusive Photo Op

Beloved Massachusetts haunted house attraction, Barrett’s Haunted Mansion, is creating a photo op specifically for this event—and bringing some of their monsters to pose (and perhaps spook) festival-goers.

This is just one of the photo opportunities Wicked New England guests can capture during the event.

Halfway to Halloween Festival Panel Presentations

Throughout the day, panels of haunt experts will take the Old Town Hall stage to share insight and offer “a peek behind the curtain” of New England haunts and other Halloween offerings.

Witch City Walking Tours, Halloween New England, The Horror Squad Podcast, and more are scheduled to take part.

Know Before You Go:

• This event is a celebration of all things Halloween-related, so there may be monsters lurking, but the intent is not to jump scare.
• Children are welcome, but there may be imagery some children find scary, so know your child’s fear threshold before attending.
• Costumes are encouraged, but no weapons (real or fake) and nothing oversized, as space is limited at Old Town Hall.
• Tickets are timed to manage capacity throughout the day, so do your best to arrive at your selected time. You may need to wait before entering, but will not be turned away.

Tickets are now on sale for the one-day Halfway to Halloween Festival. General admission (ages 3+) includes access to all festival activities inside Old Town Hall. Children 2 years and younger are admitted for free with a paid adult ticket. Discounted Early Bird Tickets are available for a limited time.

Click here for more information and to purchase Halfway to Halloween Festival tickets.