We grabbed our cameras and headed to the Point this June — and watched Eternal October Salem take a big step. The city’s only Black-owned alternative brand cut the ribbon on its new storefront inside North Shore CDC’s retail pop-up incubator at 104 Lafayette Street. A pink ribbon, oversized scissors, neighbors packed into the mural-covered courtyard, pizza and cold drinks

There are days when you can feel a whole city show up for each other — and Juneteenth Jam 2026 in Salem was one of them. On Friday, June 19, Charlotte Forten Park filled up with music, crafts, a Black-owned pop-up market, and a community honoring freedom together. We grabbed our cameras and spent the day soaking it in, and

Salem RenFaire makes its debut Saturday, June 13, 2026, at Notch Brewing, 283R Derby Street — and the organizers proudly call it the tiniest Renaissance faire you’ve ever been to. Entry is $10 ($5 for kids), and all ages are welcome. The medieval marketplace, tap room, and biergarten open at 11 am. At noon, an interactive quest from Salem’s own

Bakers Island Light’s Historic Fresnel Lens Returns Home After 50 Years Essex Heritage launches $20,000 campaign to conserve and display original lighthouse lens Historic Lighthouse Lens Comes Home to Salem The 4th Order Fresnel lens that once guided ships safely into the Port of Salem for decades has come home. On May 9, 2026, Essex National Heritage Commission, Inc. (Essex

Salem Pantry Takes Fight Against Hunger to Washington Executive Director and communications leader advocate on Capitol Hill for SNAP preservation amid rising food insecurity Salem Pantry Joins National Anti-Hunger Advocacy Effort The Salem Pantry joined over 900 advocates from across the country last week at the National Anti-Hunger Policy Conference, hosted by the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC). Executive

A converted school auditorium in downtown Salem held an unlikely cross-section of the affordable housing world this morning. A priest from the Archdiocese of Boston. A state senator. The director of the Punto Urban Art Museum. Affordable housing financiers. City planners. And Sarah Ashodian, the building’s first artist-resident. The occasion was the ribbon-cutting for Hawthorne Lofts, 29 units of affordable

New Contemporary Art Space Airtight Garage Opens in Salem with Assemblage Exhibition Artist-run gallery brings paid opportunities and free workshops to North Shore artists starting May 2026 Salem Welcomes New Contemporary Art Space Airtight Garage, a contemporary art space and incubator, opens its doors in Salem this May with its inaugural exhibition “Assemblage.” Organized by artist and art writer Rachel

Historic Hearts Yoga at Hamilton Hall Benefits Plummer Youth Promise Pop-up yoga class in Samuel McIntire’s Federal masterpiece combines wellness and charity on May 18 Why Yoga at Hamilton Hall? The Answer is Community Throughout its 220-year history, Hamilton Hall has hosted countless events to facilitate conversation, connection, and fun among community members. Historic Hearts Yoga honors that history and

April 24–26, 2026  |  Salem, Massachusetts  |  Theme: Song of the Sea By John Andrews, Creative Collective A Magical Weekend in the Witch City Grab your knitting bag, your favorite tarot deck, and a pearl-dripping sea-witch ensemble. The Fiber Witch Festival Salem returns April 24–26, 2026. This year’s edition is shaping up to be the most enchanting yet. Circle of

For one weekend this spring, Salem’s Derby Street stops being a row of shops and restaurants and becomes what it always was: a working waterfront full of rogues, merchants, and the kind of characters who built this city. Pirates! The Battle for Derby Street returns April 24 – 26, 2026, and it is the most ambitious maritime weekend Salem has