SALEM — More than 2,700 people donning pointy witch hats gathered at Salem Maritime National Historical Park on Saturday, making history by shattering the previous world record for the largest group of people dressed as witches by more than 1,000.
The Witch City lived up to its name Saturday during the “Witches on the Wharf” event, celebrating the city’s 400th anniversary by making history while also helping raise funds for Healing Abuse Working for Change.
The historic waterfront of Salem Maritime National Historical park was flooded with black capes, broomsticks and pointed hats, with a high-resolution drone photo taken at the peak moment showing 2,561 people. Allowing for those blocked from the view by a fire ladder, trees and the crowd, Destination Salem Executive Director Ashley Judge said they estimated about 2,700 people, plus a few dogs in hats.
According to Guinness World Records, the previous largest gathering of people dressed in witch hats was 1,607, achieved in Lleida, Spain, on Nov. 16, 2013. The 1,607 participants all dressed in a black hat and a black floor-length dress with a broom. All gathered to perform an incantation to bring them luck for the Spanish Christmas lottery.
The city sold limited-edition Salem 400+ branded witch hats and patches, with all proceeds donated to HAWC, a Salem-based nonprofit that has spent over four decades providing free, trauma-informed services to survivors of domestic abuse across 23 cities and towns on the North Shore. The MBTA and Keolis distributed witch hats to visitors arriving at Salem Station.
Mayor Dominick Pangallo expressed his gratitude to those who turned out for the historic moment.
“Not only did we set a record as part of Salem 400+, but this event also helped to raise funds for HAWC to support their work helping victims of domestic abuse,” Pangallo said. “Hopefully, many of the thousands of visitors and locals who came to the wharf for the photo also took some time to enjoy the shops, restaurants, and sites on Salem’s remarkable waterfront.”
Donations are still being accepted to support HAWC at hawcdv.org. More information about Salem 400+ is available at https://salem400.org/.
Michael McHugh can be contacted at mmchugh@northofboston.com or at 781-799-5202