East Coast Halloween Tops the West in Every Witch Way

In my family, Halloween is arguably the most important holiday of the year. Ever since I was little, my family’s home in Montana has been known to have the most highly-anticipated decorations in the neighborhood, since my dad’s hobby is making them all on his own. The children in my hometown, while terrified most of the time, love to come to our door and trick-or-treat at the scariest house in town. This year, however, I left Montana to spend the spooky holiday in the Halloween capital of the world: Salem, Massachusetts, and it was so much better than any Halloween celebration in the west.

My family has wanted to celebrate our favorite holiday in Salem for years and we finally got the opportunity. Spending Halloween in the East was so different (and better) from how we celebrate here in the West. In my hometown, Halloween is more of a one-day event and only seems to get going once the sun goes down. In Salem, Halloween was in full swing from Oct. 28 until the wee hours of the morning on Nov. 1. The atmosphere in Salem is perfect for those who wish that it could be autumn all year long, and the cold weather found in Montana usually prevents this in the west.

Some of the most prominent events and exhibitions in Salem are the Salem Witch Museum, where you get to learn about the tragic true story about the persecution and trials of the 1600s, Wynott’s Wands, a Harry Potter inspired wand shop on the main street and a huge market with vendors and food trucks in the middle of town. The festivities really started to take off once the sun went down on Halloween. This is when the live music comes out, lines form at haunted houses, the wax museum opens for business and the memorial for the victims of the Salem Witch Trials gets crowded with those paying homage.

One of the most amazing things I experienced in Salem over the holiday was the sheer amount of people who were dressed up – as if the whole town was entered into a costume contest. Nearly everyone being dressed up for the entire Halloween celebration is usually uncommon to see here in Montana. My family and I dressed up as Celtic gods and goddesses, with my dad as the star of the weekend. He dressed up as Krumpus, the Celtic partner of Santa Claus that eats bad children after Santa has left. It was amazing to see how many people responded so well to his costume and how many children willingly walked up to talk to him. This was the most wonderful gift that I could have asked for: to spend my favorite holiday in the Halloween capital of the world with my favorite people. To top it off, we were featured in Boston.com’s article, “The Best and Spookiest Halloween Costumes in Salem.” You can’t find a feature like that in Montana. There are so many aspects of Halloween on the East Coast that Montana simply can’t replicate, and that includes the general spirit that the east had during Autumn. If you are a Halloween lover, a history buff interested in the Salem Witch Trials, or you simply just love the fall, visiting Salem, Massachusetts and escaping a snowy Halloween is something that I could not recommend enough. Celebrating Halloween on the west coast has nothing on spending it on the east coast.