Here’s what to know about traveling to and around Salem this Halloween season

The commuter rail is expanding service to accommodate visitors.

As visitors begin to flock to Salem for Halloween festivities, the city has announced planned road closures for the month of October, citing anticipated safety concerns.

Visitors should not plan to drive into downtown Salem, especially on weekends — instead, they should park at the free satellite parking lots on weekends and ride the free shuttles, take the Salem Ferry, or ride the commuter rail, the mayor’s office said in a statement.

Currently, downtown streets will close to traffic starting no later than 4 p.m. on Halloween day, as well as Oct. 26 and 27, but officials say the closures might be earlier depending on crowd sizes.

Traffic and road closure updates will be posted to Facebook and on X.

Oct. 3: The Haunted Happenings Parade

The grand opening parade, kicking off the month-long Halloween celebration, starts at 6:30 p.m. at Shetland Office Park on Congress Street on Thursday, Oct. 3.

Roads along The Haunted Happenings Parade route will be closed to traffic, and drivers should be prepared for traffic delays on Route 114 and Route 1A.

Parking bans will be in effect on Oct. 3 on the following streets between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m.

• Congress Street both sides from Derby Street to Harbor Street
• Essex Street from Washington Street to Hawthorne Boulevard
• Central Street both sides from Charter Street to Derby Street
• Derby Street both sides from Congress Street to Lafayette Street
• Front Street both sides from Washington Street to Lafayette Street
• Washington Square both sides from Essex Street to Brown Street
• Parking meter spaces at the intersection of Charter Street, Front Street, and Central Street
• Washington Street between Essex Street and Front Street, metered spaces
• Front Street Lot

The following roads will be closed on Oct. 3 from 5 p.m. until about 9 p.m.

• Congress Street will be closed from Harbor Street to Derby Street
• Derby Street will be closed from Congress Street to Central Street
• Commuters will not be able to use Route 1A between New Derby Street and Brown Street, which includes Derby Street, Hawthorne Boulevard, and Washington Square at the Common entrance
• Front Street
• Essex Street will be closed between North Street and Hawthorne Boulevard
• Washington Street will be closed between New Derby Street and Bridge Street

Garage access will be limited on Oct. 3.

• Vehicles parked in the South Harbor Garage will not be able to leave between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m.
• The Museum Place Garage entrance will only be accessible from Church Street or St. Peter Street. Vehicles exiting the Museum Place Garage will only be able to take a left onto Brown Street and a right onto St. Peter Street.

Oct. 12: Witch City 5K

The Salem YMCA Witch City 5K road race starts at 9 a.m. at the Salem Willows. No road closures are planned, but authorities say to expect traffic impacts along Memorial Drive, Essex Street, Route 1A, Route 114, including Hawthorne Boulevard, Derby Street, and Fort Avenue, ending at Restaurant Row.

Oct. 19: Devil’s Chase road race

The Devil’s Chase road race starts at 8 a.m. at the Salem Willows soccer field on Fort Avenue. No road closures are planned, but anticipate traffic impacts until 10:30 a.m. along the route from Restaurant Row to Memorial Drive to Szetela Lane.

Road closures on Sept. 28-29, Oct. 5-6, 12-14, 19-20, 26-27

Essex Street from Hawthorne Boulevard to New Liberty Street and Essex Street from Barton Square to Washington Street will be closed to through traffic. No on-street parking will be allowed from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday.

Oct. 31: Halloween

There will be several road closures and heavy traffic impacts for the whole day and night on Halloween, and they are also anticipated for the weekend before the holiday. Officials predict significant traffic on Route 114, Route 1A, and Route 128.

In addition to the downtown streets closing, Franklin Street and Bridge Street will be closed between the westerly overpass ramps and Sgt. James Ayube Memorial Drive from 9:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. for the closing fireworks.

The MBTA Salem garage will be closed from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. on Halloween.

Expanded commuter rail weekend service

The commuter rail will increase train frequency to and from Salem during October to accommodate visitors.

Extra trains from North Station to Salem will run throughout the day on Saturdays and Sundays, and there will be even more service during the most popular travel times, between 9:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. from North Station and between 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. from Salem.

On Halloween, trains will go to and from Salem every 30 minutes.

“This October, take the train, take the ferry, come by bike, or come by broom — but leave your car at home,” Salem Mayor Dominick Pangallo said in a statement. “You’ll have a much more enjoyable visit!”

Lindsay Shachnow is a senior at Boston University majoring in Journalism with a minor in Political Science and covers general assignment news for Boston.com. She has reported for various publications, including Gotham Gazette, GBH News, The Dorchester Reporter, and MuckRock, and covered policy and legislation from the Massachusetts State House for The Boston Business Journal. At BU, Lindsay is the President of BU’s Society of Professional Journalists.