Wicked New England, Halfway to Halloween Event
WICKED NEW ENGLAND RETURNS TO SALEM, MA, SUNDAY, APRIL 19th
CELEBRATE HALFWAY TO HALLOWEEN AT OLD TOWN HALL WITH A
CURATED VENDOR MARKET, STAGE PRESENTATIONS, PHOTO OPS,
MONSTERS, KIDS TRICK-OR-TREATING AND MORE
Salem, MA – For those who can’t wait for spooky season, “WICKED NEW ENGLAND” is
bringing its Halfway to Halloween Festival back to “The Witch City”, Salem, Massachusetts. The
event will once again pack both floors of Old Town Hall, and will be creeping out into Derby
Square for the first time. The hall will be filled with a curated vendor market featuring spooky
vendors from every New England state and beyond, stage presentations by New England
Halloween businesses and experiences, photo ops with iconic characters, monsters lurking and
more. This second-year event will occur on Sunday, April 19, 2026, from 12:00pm-7:00pm.
Tickets are now on sale for this one-day event. General Admission includes access to all festival
activities taking place inside Old Town Hall. In addition, VIP Admission gains guests a gift bag,
event souvenir, and the option to take part in a future ghost hunting experience with Wicked
Ghost Hunters. Anyone visiting Salem with or without admission are welcome to enjoy the
offerings in Derby Square. Affordable tickets are available for purchase at
WickedNewEngland.info.
The Marketplace features vendors from every New England state and beyond with their
spooky, scary, macabre and Halloween-themed merchandise for all to enjoy. From apparel to
candles, jewelry, decorations, artwork, pet accessories, bath goods, apothecary items and
more, every Halloween-loving guest is sure to find something to take home.
Heirloom Hallowe’en will be debuting their traveling museum showcasing the rich history of
Halloween traditions and decorations. They will be decorating Old Town Hall’s stage with
artifacts from their diverse collection, featuring antique jack-o’-lanterns, paper decorations, party
games, postcards, and other historic treasures from Halloweens past. They will share the
history of select artifacts as part of a Stage Presentation.
Additional Stage Presentations include discussions with Halloween New England as they
share family-friendly Halloween offerings in New England, a “do it yourself” demonstration from
beloved haunted house attraction Barrett’s Haunted Mansion, an offering from Witch City
Broom Co., tales of real-life ghostly encounters from Wicked Ghost Hunters, a mass wedding
vow renewal with BORAH! from Salem’s Black Hat Society where anyone in attendance can
take part, a peek behind the scenes with “Hocus Pocus Live: An All New Parody Musical”
presented by Summer Orlando Productions, and more!
Salem’s own BORAH! The Witch, as seen on “America’s Got Talent”, and the cast of “Hocus
Pocus Live: An All New Parody Musical” will be in attendance for the entirety of the event to
meet with fans at their photo ops. The latter are especially fitting as Old Town Hall was used for
exterior shooting in the Disney movie “Hocus Pocus”.
New this year is the opportunity for children in attendance to trick-or-treat from participating
vendors. This is a free offering for any child enjoying the event. They’ll be able to pick up a trick-
or-treat bag at the event entrance. Children four and under attend free with a paid adult.
“With the success of the first Wicked New England event in 2025, I want to continue to grow,
celebrate, and shine a light on what New England has to offer during the Halloween season,”
states Wicked New England founder and producer Jeff DePaoli. “Halloween is a special day
wherever you live. But I believe Halloween in New England holds a bit of extra magic. There’s a
reason why so much media we consume tied to the holiday is often set in New England. I hope
everyone who attends gets an early touch of that magical feeling as we celebrate halfway to
Halloween.”
This event is produced under DePaoli’s depaolEVENTS label and is being sponsored by Witch
City Walking Tours and Witch City Broom Co.
