On May 1, 1971, Mayor Samuel Zoll proclaimed it “Hello Day.” Fire station bells rang across Salem at noon. Residents poured into the streets — along Essex Street, across the Common — to do something radical in its simplicity: say hello to each other.

A rock band made up of Salem High students played on the Common. A conceptual artist circled overhead in a plane, photographing the whole thing from above. Channel 5 showed up. A teenager named Marian Sonier told the Salem Evening News it was the best time she’d had in months.

Salem did this two years before the rest of the world even had the idea.

Now Salem turns 400, and we’re bringing it back.

Friday, May 1 — the 55th anniversary of the original Hello Day. The Mayor will open the evening with a proclamation reviving Hello Day for a new generation. Then the Midtown Horns take the stage on the Pedestrian Mall in front of East India Marine Hall and give downtown Salem the kind of evening it deserves.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month — and it turns out that the simple act of saying hello to your neighbors is one of the most powerful things you can do for your own wellbeing and theirs. Salem figured that out in 1971. We’re just picking up where they left off.

This is free. This is for everyone. Just show up.

Schedule:
5:45 PM — Mayor’s Proclamation
6:00 PM — Midtown Horns
7:30 PM — See you next time, Salem

Tag your moments @Salem400 — every hello is part of Salem’s story at 400.

Presented by Creative Collective, Peabody Essex Museum, and the City of Salem as part of Salem 400+.