Thursday, Oct. 9

Grand Opening Haunted Happenings Parade -- 6:30 p.m. Begins at Shetland Park on Congress Street and ends at Salem Common.

Mayor's Night Out -- 3 to 10 p.m. Salem residents with photo identification are admitted free to attractions and museums. Look for the "Mayor's Night Out" sign on the door of participating businesses.

Saturday, Oct. 18

Bizarre Bazaar -- Street festival in the downtown area, featuring crafters, sidewalk sales and food vendors. Entertainment including live bands, street performers, clowns and more. 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Halloween Children's Day -- On Salem Common, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free entertainment, costume contests for kids and pets. This is the eighth annual Children's Day.

Annual Costumed Pet Contest -- Find out who is top dog, which feline is No. 1 and which pet will take top spot this year. 1 p.m., in the courtyard behind A Touch of the Past, 93 Washington St.

Harry Potter Trivia Tournament -- Test your knowledge on the Harry Potter book series. 2 p.m. at Port Maia on Pickering Wharf. Open to the first 25 children, age 16 and under. Registration begins at 1 p.m. Prizes.

Sunday, Oct. 19

Bizarre Bazaar -- Street festival in the downtown area, featuring crafters, sidewalk sales and food vendors. Entertainment including live bands, street performers, clowns and more. 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Children's Costume Brunch -- 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Nathaniel's and Sophia's at the Hawthorne Hotel. Children can come in costume and meet entertaining characters, decorate their own pumpkins and receive Halloween treats. $24.95 for adults; $13.95 for children 3 to 12. Children under 3 are free. Reservations strongly recommended. (978) 825-4311.

Friday, Oct. 24

Trick-or-Treating -- Various wharf merchants hand out Halloween treats to kids in costume. Pickering Wharf, 6 to 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 25

Children's Halloween Costume Parade -- Hosted by the Phoenix School. Registration on Salem Common from 10 to 11:45 a.m.; parade begins at noon. Costume contest with prizes to be awarded at Phoenix School in Lappin Park. Entry fee $1. (978) 741-0870.

Children's Halloween Party -- Halloween games and Haunted Halloween maze from 1 to 3 p.m. at Lappin Park (corner of Washington and Essex streets). Admission $1.

Pumpkin Carving -- 1 to 3 p.m. at Port Maia on Pickering Wharf. Carve your own mini-pumpkin with the help of students from Montserrat College of Art.

Sunday, Oct. 26

Children's Costume Brunch -- 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Nathaniel's and Sophia's at the Hawthorne Hotel. Children can come in costume and meet entertaining characters, decorate their own pumpkins and receive Halloween treats. $24.95 for adults, $13.95 for children 3 to 12. Children under 3 are free. Reservations strongly recommended. Call (978) 825-4311.

Pumpkin-Carving Demonstration and Sale -- 1 to 4 p.m. in front of Slaphappy on Pickering Wharf. Watch as professional carvers create fabulous designs.

Wednesday, Oct. 29

Harvest Moon Brew Night -- 8 p.m. to midnight in The Tavern at the Hawthorne Hotel. Featuring Julie Doherty. $10 cover charge includes admission and sample beers. Limited menu available. Must be 21 years or older.

Thursday, Oct. 30

Harvest Moon Brew Night -- 8 p.m. to midnight in The Tavern at the Hawthorne Hotel. Featuring Gas Meter Band. $10 cover charge includes admission and sample beers. Limited menu available. Must be 21 years or older.

Friday, Oct. 31

Costume Contest -- Victoria Station restaurant, Pickering Wharf. $200 first prize, no cover charge. Ages 21 and over. (978) 745-3400.

Costume Ball -- 10 p.m. Finz restaurant on Pickering Wharf. Prizes will be awarded.

Hawthorne Haunted Mansion: The Hawthorne Hotel's Annual Costume Ball -- Enjoy three floors of haunting entertainment, featuring the band, "Hush," ghoulish treats from the haunted kitchen, complimentary T-shirts. Costume Contest with $1,500 in cash prizes. Cash bar. Tickets, $75 per person. Must be 21 years or older with proper ID. (978) 744-4080.

Haunted Happenings Halloween Night Celebration -- Includes crowning of the King, Queen, Prince, and Princess of Halloween, bands, DJs, street entertainers, fire-jugglers and more. Events take place on Derby Street, near the Salem Wax Museum. 2 to 10 p.m.

ON-GOING EVENTS

"Cry Innocent: The People Versus Bridget Bishop" -- Live re-enactment of the witchcraft examination of Bridget Bishop in 1692. You are the jury; you hear historic testimonies, cross-examine the witnesses and decide the verdict. First Saturday in October through Halloween, multiple shows most days. Old Town Hall, 32 Derby Square.

Fame, The Salem Privateer, departs twice daily from Pickering Wharf Marina on cruises of Salem Sound. Sail times are noon and 3 p.m. Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. (978) 729-7600.

Haunted Footsteps Ghost Tour -- Costumed guides take visitors through Salem by lantern light. Nightly 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. Tours depart from 175 Essex St. (second floor) office. Adults $12.50, seniors $10, and children (6 to 12) $8.

House of the Seven Gables -- The Gables by Lantern Light: The 1668 house made famous by Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel is illuminated by lantern light. Costumed interpreters. Reservations recommended. (978) 744-0991, Ext. 104.

Spirits of the Gables: 7 to 11 p.m. on Oct. 10, 11, 12, 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Encounter Hawthorne's characters as they bring to life the blood-stained story of the house. Reservations recommended. (978) 744-0991, Ext. 104. Oct. 17, 18, 24, 25, 31 and Nov. 1.

Legacy of the Hanging Judge: Enter Nathaniel Hawthorne's birthplace as it is transformed into the prosecutor's chamber in the witch trials. Reservations recommended. 7 to 11 p.m. on Oct. 10, 11, 12, 17, 18, 24, 25, 31 and Nov. 1.

New England Pirate Museum -- Guided tour through a recreated dockside village and pirate ship. Open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with extended weekend hours starting Oct. 18.

Old Burying Point/Witch Trials Memorial Tour -- Salem's oldest cemetery contains infamous occupants, symbolic artwork and endless stories. Daily 4 p.m. tours depart from 175 Essex St. (second floor) office. Adults $6, seniors $5.50, and children (6 to 12) $5. (978) 745-0666.

Psychic Fair --The Goddess Treasure Chest, 173 Essex St. Daily, 11 a.m. to whenever. Tarot, palms, mediumship, past lives and more. Weekly seances at 8 p.m., Oct. 11, 16, 18, 23, and 30. Aura photos, astrology charts.

Salem Family Fun Days -- Salem Common. A small admission fee will include rides, arts and crafts, games, prizes and entertainment for children. Oct. 11, 12, 19, 25, and 26. Organized by the Salem YMCA. (978) 744-0351.

Salem Trolley -- Narrated tour and all-day shuttle through historic Salem. Daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Adults $10, Seniors (60+) $9, children (6 to 12) $5, 5 and under free. Family rate available. (978) 744-5469.

Salem Wax Museum's Haunted Neighborhood -- Features the Salem Wax Museum, Salem Witch Village, Haunted Witch Village, Hall of Illusions, Ghostly Candlelit Walking Tours, Witch Works Tent, and Within the Witching Hour, "A Spell Casting." Guest psychics, tarot card and rune reading demonstrations, lectures, Monster Mash Costume Contest, face painting, fire jugglers, and more. Events scheduled from Oct. 10 to Nov. 2.

Salem Witch Museum -- Museum tells the story of the Salem witch hysteria in 1692. Also, an exhibit on "Witches-Evolving Perceptions" about witchcraft. Extended hours during Haunted Happenings, weekends until 10 p.m., Oct. 24, 25 and 31 until midnight. Adult $6.50, senior $6, child (6 to 14) $4.50.

Scary Sea Stories hosted by the Salem Maritime National Historic Site at the Salem waterfront on Derby Street. Oct. 17, 18, 24, 25, and 31. Park rangers start the stories at 7 p.m. Free.

Witch Dungeon Museum -- Live re-enactment of a witch trial from the original transcript of 1692, followed by a guided tour through the dungeon. During Haunted Happenings, open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with extended hours on weekends during Haunted Happenings. Information, (978) 741-3570.

Witch History Museum -- Fifteen life-size scenes tell the story of the witch hysteria of 1692. Open daily, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with extended hours on weekends starting Oct. 18.

Witch Trial Trail and Terror Trail -- Derby Square Tours offers two candlelight walking tours. The Terror Trail features tales of hauntings, murder, and spectral assaults. The Witch Trial Trail explores the sites and story of the infamous Salem witch trials. (978) 745-6314.