SALEM – October in Salem means more than a month of haunted events, performances, shopping and happenings, and the team at Creative Collective is hosting markets, events, entertainment all over the city of Salem, including the Pedestrian Mall, Derby Square, and the newly dedicated Charlotte Forten Park at 289 Derby Street.
Last year saw the creation of the successful Creative Collective Merchant Marketplace. Over the course of three weeks in the heart of Salem MA, Creative Collective managed almost 200 vendors and over 400 vendor spaces as part of the annual Haunted Happenings month-long festival, working with the City of Salem, Salem Police and Fire, Vendors, Local Businesses and creative organizations to not only manage the fair but to introduce an all-new Night Market and enhanced ‘after dark’ outdoors public programming.
“Working with local and visiting artisans, makers and performers in tandem with the overall record-breaking celebration and the City of Salem has been an incredible opportunity to highlight the vibrancy of the creative industries in New England to visitors from all over the world,” says John Andrews, founder of Creative Collective, a business support program for the creative industries based in Salem Ma.
This year, the Merchant Marketplace continues with the classic Essex Street Pedestrian Mall Vendor Fair on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and the weekdays leading up to Halloween! In addition, there will be some newer events including the Friday Night Markets in Derby Square and on the Pedestrian Mall on October 11th, 18th, and 25th from 6:00 pm – 10:00 pm. This year the night markets also feature a 21+ Beer Garden by Lord Hobo Brewing in Derby Square. (Outdoor special events are all-weather dependent).
These Night Markets will feature programming from street performers, face painters, and costumed characters and will complement the increase in vendors along the Pedestrian Mall!
In addition to the Derby Square Night Markets, there will also be a series of events in the brand new Charlotte Forten Park at 289 Derby St. On Saturday nights in October, there will be family-friendly movie nights in the park, a beer garden provided by Notch Brewing, and a Treats/Ice Cream Truck. There’s also a stage at Charlotte Forten Park which will host music and entertainment on Saturdays from noon to 9:00 pm and on Sundays from noon to 7:00 pm starting October 12th.
To cap things off for the month there will be a trio of stages in Downtown Salem for Halloween night including The Glitter Boys at the new Charlotte Forten Park at 289 Derby Street, the Undercover Band at Front Street and the return of the stage at Washington and Federal St. Each stage will also feature a beer garden featuring a local craft brewery!
For updates on events, performances, and general Haunted Happenings, make sure to follow @creativenorthshore and online at creativenorthshore.com
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Creative North Shore is a program of Creative Collective and is supported by the efforts of the Collective along with our readers and community members. We are dedicated to keeping you up to date on the latest events and creative happenings on the North Shore, and we could not exist without you. Thank you for reading, and if you’d like to support our efforts directly, considering joining the Collective Club or becoming an individual or corporate business member.
