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October in Salem
Halloween Ball: A Vintage Hallowe'en
Thank you to all who came to Salem to celebrate A Vintage Hallowe'en with us at the Hawthorne Hotel. We took the opportunity to pay homage to the hotel’s 100th anniversary and Halloween 2025 with an unforgettable evening of eerie elegance and vintage oddity. And it did not disappoint!
Costumes were simply amazing. From handcrafted paper mache pumpkin heads and vintage clowns, to butterflies and flappers. With Nakatomi Plaza (yep!), ocean sirens and the cat from the 1920 Halloween decor Bogie Book, the creativity was epic.
Guests enjoyed appetizers popular in the 1920s including baked ham, shrimp cocktail, ambrosia salad, and Jello (the #1 dessert in America!) and danced to American Midnight in the Ballroom and DJs in Nathaniel's and the Library. They enjoyed masks created by students at RAW Art Works in Lynn, MA, kitschy decor from Audi Souza Arts (those rats!) and souvenir t-shirts designed by a Halloween team member.
We did choose a few of our favorites and awarded these guests with cash prizes:
1st Place
Vintage Halloween was represented with these creative, handmade costumes of a pumpkin and cat. The pumpkin even wore our 2024 ball t-shirt!
2nd Place
Who can take "Die Hard" and turn it into a Halloween costume? These two can.
3rd Place
This Tinkerbell and Captain Hook were impressive, complete with a paper mache alligator that breathed. The details need to be admired in person.
Staff Choice
Vintage lamps were elegant and fun and did the North Shore proud!
** Photos of guests who posed in front of our themed backdrop can be downloaded here:
October 2026
Think about checking off "experience Halloween in Salem" from your bucket list!
Instructions for booking for October 2026 are now available.
There is a two night minimum for weekend stays (Friday + Saturday or Saturday + Sunday) in October. During the week, however, we welcome guests who may be looking for a shorter visit. A non-refundable deposit representing one night of your stay is required for all reservations in September or October. Should you need to cancel your reservation, this deposit will be forfeited and kept by the Hawthorne Hotel as a cancellation fee.
If you wish to book a weekend in October 2026, rooms will be available to the general public via our website every Tuesday at 10:00 a.m. following the weekend noted in the informational chart.
If you wish to book a package weekend (our Ball, or Halloween night) please see directions, below.
Don’t let the high demand for rooms in October deter you from visiting Salem during Haunted Happenings. If you are able to visit during the week, you will find greater room availability and shorter wait times at popular local attractions.
A note about dining at the Hawthorne: we limit seatings to walk-ins only during the month of October.

