Safety Barriers To Line Salem Haunted Happenings Grand Parade For First Time

SALEM, MA — Spectators at next week's Haunted Happenings Grand Parade will be required to stand behind pedestrian barriers as part of enhanced safety measures in the wake of the New Orleans New Year's Eve attack and other terror attacks at public gatherings around the world over the past year.

The Salem Chamber of Commerce, which hosts the Grand Parade on Oct. 2, said crossing points, open before the parade starts, will be monitored by parade volunteers. Once the parade starts, spectators will be unable to cross the parade route until after the last float has passed.

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Salem police and public service workers will put the barriers in place around downtown the day before the parade.

Road Closures will start on parade day around 4 p.m.

Parade participants and the audience are asked to walk to downtown Salem if possible, as parking will be tighter that day. Road closures will reopen later than in the past due to additional barriers needing removal.

The reunification point for parents/children is the light tower on Salem Common.

The 28th annual parade will kick off at 6:30 p.m., with more than 15,000 spectators expected.

The theme for this year's Parade is "Stronger Together – The Magic of Us" — celebrating the power of unity and imagination.

The Parade Grand Marshalls for this year are Omri Katz, Vinessa Shaw, Tobias Jelinek, Larry Bagby, and Jason Marsden of the Salem-based Halloween cult classic "Hocus Pocus."

Cheetah DJ & Photography will be spinning Halloween dance classics on Salem Common until 8:30 on the night of the parade.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)