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Grab your black cats and pointy hats, because Salem celebrates 400 years of history in 2026, and the North Shore city is marking the occasion with a yearlong calendar of festivals, cultural events, historical programs and community gatherings.
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The Salem 400+ festivities kicked off in January with a free, all-ages launch party that brought hundreds of residents together at Salem High School (home of the Salem Witches team), with more than 60 local organizations participating. Since then, the anniversary programming has ranged from Black History Month and Juneteenth celebrations to hands-on history programs, public art and family events, all designed to look beyond Salem's most infamous chapters and explore the many communities and stories that have shaped the city.
The biggest summer celebration arrives with Salem 400+ Heritage Days, running August 1–9. The festivities kick off on Saturday, August 1, with the return of the Heritage Days Parade, a tradition that has been on pause for more than 30 years. (Does it still count as a tradition in that case?) The parade will travel from Salem State University's O'Keefe Center to Salem Maritime National Historical Park, where a waterfront festival will take over the day.
The free festival runs from 11am to 6pm and will feature historical demonstrations, craftspeople, food trucks, live music and free kayak and paddleboard rentals. There's also the Great Salem Maritime Cardboard Boat Regatta, because what would an East Coast celebration be without a little maritime nonsense?
The 400th anniversary also offers a chance to consider Salem's history in a more expansive way. The Salem 400+ initiative explicitly acknowledges the Indigenous community that predates the city's founding while looking at the connections between Salem's multifaceted past and its future. In other words, this isn't just an excuse to dress up in colonial garb and take approximately 4,000 photos of the Witch House hoping for a mysterious orb to appear in one.
With more events continuing throughout 2026—yes, culminating in a Halloween celebration—Salem's quadricentennial is shaping up as a celebration of the city as it exists today as much as a look back at how it got here. Whether you're interested in history, culture, live music, family activities or looking for another reason to take the commuter rail north, this is a particularly good year to spend some time in Witch City.
For the full schedule of Salem 400+ events and anniversary programming, click here.