Another Strong Year for Salem's Haunted Happenings Events

The city of Salem announced Thursday that the Finance Department has completed their analysis of city revenue and expenses from this year's Haunted Happenings festivities. 

What they found was that the city took in $426,677 in gross revenue this year and spent $205,234 for a net of $221,443. The average for Haunted Happenings since 2007 has been $224,596, according to a press release.

The aforementioned figures do not include private business income and expenses. Visitor spending in Salem in October is estimated to be around $30 million.

City revenue associated with Haunted Happenings include funds from inspection fees, donations, ticket revenue from the Witch House and Pioneer Village, and parking garages and meters. Expenses include police, fire, parking, health and building inspector, and Department of Public Works overtime, public works and public safety equipment, portable toilets, and entertainment expenses. 

“While Haunted Happenings is not intended to be a revenue-raising program for the City, we’re still pleased that we were on track with our historic average,” Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll said in a prepared statement. “The most critical thing as far as the City is concerned is maintaining public safety and security during the month and especially on Halloween itself. Our police and public safety partners from twelve different police departments did a fantastic job ensuring everyone was able to enjoy this year’s Halloween festivities in a safe fashion.”