Man, I lived in Salem for almost 3 years and Halloween was never this brutal. It used to be fun. I chalk it up to post-COVID syndrome. Everyone desperately wants to go out and do things even if they're really mid activities... My friend still lives in the downtown area and he can't even walk down his own street to get groceries, food, etc. Dumb tourists who can't park or read signs keep blocking his driveway constantly. What a nightmare.

Yeah I think there was an article posted in the salem subreddit recently about how the crowds this October have been absolutely bonkers. To each their own, but this weekend is not a good time to visit.