This coming Thursday marks the official opening of the Halloween season in Salem, which means that you will be able to have a “frighteningly” good time in the very near future. In fact, there’s no shortage of spooky events scheduled for the next month in the Witch City, and the fun will continue right through All Hallows Eve. However, just because the festivities don’t officially start until Thursday doesn’t mean that you have to wait for the fun to begin. There are already a number of Halloween events scheduled in the Salem area and beyond this weekend, and if you’re looking for a way to start off the season a little early, you’ve come to the right place.
First, if you’ve always been a fan of creepy artwork, there’s no better place to be than the Terror Fantasies Art Show. The Terror Fantasies Art Show, which is held at the Museum Place Mall in Salem from 11:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M. on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays until October 10th, features a wide range of horror and fantasy artwork. This means that you can expect to see black cats, jack-o-lanterns, vampires, zombies, witches, and just about every other creepy thing that has ever been associated with the season. For more information on the Terror Fantasies Art Show, please visit the Salem Haunted Happenings website.
Secondly, if you’re not a huge fan of art but you’ve always had a special place in your heart (still-beating or otherwise) for zombies, prepare yourself for the Boston Zombie Apocalypse. The Boston Zombie Apocalypse is an interactive live action game in which you play a survivor attempting to escape the Boston area after it has been overrun by zombies. This game, which is held at Stronghold Airsoft in Abington, MA, will allow you to use a special airsoft shotgun to defend yourself against the every-growing army of the undead. However, you won’t be alone, as a military escort will attempt to guide you to safety through the 25,000 square-foot facility designed to mimic a city complete with cars, buildings, and, of course, zombies trying to eat you. For more information on the event and/or to order tickets, please visit the Boston Zombie Apocalypse website.
Finally, if you’re looking for something that you can do with the kids and you don’t mind waiting until Thursday, you may want to head down to Salem for the Haunted Happenings Grand Parade. The Haunted Happenings Grand Parade marks the official opening of the Halloween season in Salem with bands, school groups, trolleys, real witches, and occasionally some special appearances by celebrities and interesting vehicles like the Ecto-1 from Ghostbusters. This year’s parade will have a fantasy theme, so you should expect to see kids and adults from all over the area dressed as characters from Avatar, The Chronicles of Narnia, Frozen, Ghostbusters, Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, and a whole lot more. For more information on the parade, which will run from approximately 6:30 P.M. to 8:30 P.M. on Thursday, October 2, 2014, please visit the Salem Haunted Happenings website or the Salem Chamber of Commerce website.
Photo credit: Bob Linsdell / Foter / CC BY