SALEM, MASS. (WHDH) - Crowds are set to surge in Salem once again as visitors head to the Witch City for the last weekend of the Halloween season.

According to the mayor’s office, 185,300 people made the trip to downtown Salem last weekend, a 1% uptick compared to last year. The numbers added to the nearly 700,000 total who had visited as of Wednesday, Oct. 26. This is 57,100, or 9%, more than the same period in 2021.

From Jack Skellington to Pennywise to the witches from Hocus Pocus, costumed visitors have been flooding the Salem Common, Derby Square and more, filling shops and restaurants as police monitor foot traffic.

For Salem Police Chief Lucas Miller, the heavy crowds come with the job, and make for a weekend that is as fun as it is challenging.

“Oh, both, very much,” Miller said Friday. “I took this job knowing full well this would be a busy, busy time.”

Parking has been at a premium for weeks and will not be any better during the final days of the Halloween season, with forecasts of constant gridlock prompting city leaders to remind tourists to avoid driving in.

“Our roads were built for horse and buggy – they’re not built for the sort of regular cars that we have and so between gridlock and not enough parking, we have 100,000 people in town (and) we have about 6,000 public spaces,” said Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll.

The Commuter Rail previously added more weekend service between North Station and Salem as well as Salem and Beverly/Newburyport. The city said with all parking lots, garages and spaces filling quickly, taking a train or ferry is the best solution.

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