Planning a Salem day starts with a few useful questions: When are we coming? Who will be here? How do we get around? Here is how to use the Marketplace website to put those pieces together.

Start with the calendar, browse makers and places by venue, and keep the practical information close. For this year’s new venues, food and programming, read what’s new at the 2026 Marketplace.

Start With the Date

Start with our 2026 Salem events calendar. Choose the day you plan to visit, then search by name or use the calendar’s categories to narrow your options. Open any listing for current times, location details, tickets and accessibility information.

The calendar includes date-specific listings from Peabody Essex Museum’s fall programming. That includes experiences such as Brick by Brick: Salem’s Hidden Architectural Stories, Sinister Streets, Harry Houdini installations and programs, Hocus Pocus décor at Ropes Mansion, family art-making, film screenings and live performance.

Those join Marketplace dates, walking tours, theatre, family activities and citywide Halloween happenings already on the calendar. Instead of asking you to sort through one enormous list, the calendar lets you choose your actual date and see what is happening then. That is the point.

Salem has a lot going on. Planning it should not feel like its own haunted attraction.

The calendar will keep growing as schedules are confirmed, so check it when you begin planning and check it again before you head into Salem.

Meet the People and Places Before You Arrive

The Haunted Happenings directory helps connect the date you choose with the people and places along the way.

It is not just a list of names. Participating artists, makers, food businesses, shops, tours and other local experiences can have their own profiles with photos, visitor information, approved Marketplace dates, locations and direct links. You can search for a business or product, browse by venue, meet the people behind the work and begin building your own route before you arrive.

We are publishing profiles as businesses are confirmed and ready, so the directory will continue to change. That is a good reason to come back. The person making the perfect strange little thing you did not know you needed may not be visible today—but they may be there tomorrow.

The directory now also includes two useful ways to explore beyond the vendor lineup:

• Meet our 2026 Partners & Sponsors and learn how each organization is connected to the season.
• Use our Salem Visitor Resources to find official citywide information, maps, regional planning tools and local visitor guides without confusing those resources with Marketplace vendors.

Meet the 2026 Festival Partner and Sponsors

This work is built by more than the people behind the tents—and this season has a lead partner whose role deserves to be unmistakable.

Festival Partner: Salem Night Tour

Salem Night Tour is our 2026 Festival Partner—the highest level of support for the season. Their partnership helps power the Essex Street Pedestrian Mall experience, including the street-performer and busker programming that brings movement, sound and some wonderfully unexpected moments to the route. Salem Night Tour does not simply appear beside the festival. They are helping build what visitors experience.

Title Sponsors

Jenni Stuart Fine Jewelry and Salem Wax / Haunted Neighborhood are our 2026 Title Sponsors. The new Haunted Neighborhood profile brings together Salem Wax, five Haunted Neighborhood attractions, The Lost Library and the new Spirit Market—giving visitors one place to understand how the whole Derby and Liberty Street experience fits together.

Season Supporters

Premier Sponsors Peabody Essex Museum, Legion Salem and Nocturne, and Supporting Sponsor Salem Uncovered Tours, also help power the season. These organizations each bring something different to the season, from art and food to shopping, local storytelling and Salem experiences.

Explore the live profiles below to meet the people and places helping make the 2026 season possible. This section is connected to our sponsor directory, so it can keep growing as new profiles are added.

Explore the complete 2026 Partners & Sponsors directory for current profiles and direct links.

Find the Right Venue for Your Date

The five Marketplace stops follow different schedules. Choose your date in Events & Hours, then use Plan Your Visit for current market hours, travel, restrooms and accessibility information. Check again before heading into Salem for weather updates or changes.

Explore Salem Common, Derby Square, Charlotte Forten Park, the Essex Street Pedestrian Mall and Old Town Hall Food Court. Each stop has its own mix of people and reasons to keep exploring.

Use the Updated Website as Your Starting Point

Use the website to bring the pieces of your visit together. The homepage gives you the season at a glance. The event calendar helps you plan by date. The directory helps you explore vendors, sponsors, businesses and visitor resources. The Marketplace FAQ covers current hours, travel, accessibility, applications and practical questions.

The Haunted Happenings Marketplace is one part of Salem’s larger monthlong celebration. For citywide schedules, parking, transportation, public safety information and official visitor updates, continue to Salem Haunted Happenings.

This Is Still Growing

The Marketplace is produced by Creative Collective, but a season like this is built by many hands: artists, small-business owners, performers, food vendors, partners, property owners, city departments, volunteers, neighbors and the visitors who choose to spend time with us.

The calendar and directory will keep changing as details are confirmed. Check your date before traveling, then leave room to meet someone new along the way.

Choose a date. Open a few profiles. Follow a strange little thread. Build a route—and then leave enough room for Salem to surprise you.

We cannot wait to see what you find.

See you downtown.