Halloween is the special time of year when the shades of the dead whisper from forgotten places and spirits walk among us. The Witches of Salem honor this time with Festival of the Dead, an annual event series that explores death’s macabre customs, heretical histories, and strange rituals. Presented by Salem Warlocks Christian Day and Brian Cain hosted by the foremost authorities on the spirit world, Festival of the Dead beckons guests to step through the veil into a realm where spirits await.

Schedule of Events:

October 25, 2024

7:30 pm: The Official Salem Witches' Halloween Ball

Join Christian Day, Brian Cain, and the Witches of Salem with guests Dragon Ritual Drummers for a night of magic, music, and powerful rituals at Salem's most magical Halloween party! Join us as in days of old when fires burned on every hilltop and Witches gathered to feast, rejoice, and cast spells for the new year! The chill winds of Autumn whisper to Witches and welcome strangers alike who journey to Salem from around the globe to summon the spirits at Halloween. From time out of mind, Witches have used this sacred holiday to honor the dead, divine hidden secrets, and celebrate magic!

Bewitchments of the Evening

-Dance in the Grand Ballroom to pop, party, and goth by dj addambombb and laser light show.
-Feast on sumptuous hors d'oeuvres
-Be among the first 100 guests to arrive and get a gift bag designed by artist Holly Golightly and filled with magical swag!
-See into the future with a free psychic reading in Sophia's room!
-Take your photo at our Selfie Station!
-Visit the cash bar for your favorite potion

Live Performances

-Immerse yourself in the rhythm of the Dragon Ritual Drummers both in a ballroom performance and, later for an intimate drumming circle upstairs. -Enjoy entrancing ceremonial dance by Hadiya X Post

Powerful Rituals

-On the second floor, Witchdoctor Utu and the Dragon Ritual Drummers will lead rituals and magic in the old ways of Witchcraft! -At evening's pinnacle, cast a magic circle in the grand ballroom with Christian Day, Brian Cain, and the Salem Witches as we honor loved ones in the spirit world!

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October 26, 2024

9:00 pm - 11:00 pm: Graveyard Magic with WitchDoctor Utu

Magic performed in a graveyard is one of the oldest forms of witchcraft. The very notion of graveyard magic is considered a taboo subject to some, but once we demystify the practice and deconstruct why it is controversial, it opens up a host of possibilities and benefits that can enhance and empower our personal magic.

Graveyard magic enables us to conjure where reverence, love, compassion, necromancy and the power of place coexist in a potent and tangible way that few locations can offer, and in fact magic in the graveyard is a dignified and honorable form of conjuration and witchcraft, we just need to know how and why. Author Witchdoctor Utu, will lead this class that will be beneficial to the seasoned practitioner and seeker alike, and he will share a series of workings, spells, traditions and truths to help you navigate the sacred magic available to you in the graveyard and cemetery.

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October 27, 2024

11:00 am - 1:30 pm: The Mourning Tea: Remembering the Dead

Salem Witch Angel Griffin for a 3-course High Tea in grand Victorian tradition. Don your finest mourning attire and celebrate the lives of your dearly departed as you share stories of your loved ones who have passed, add photos and mementos to our Salem Witches' Book of the Dead, enjoy live music and poetry, and receive messages in the tea leaves!

Hearken back to the lush and extravagant mourning traditions of the Victorian era, when widows wore black dresses for years and the hair of the dead was carried in cherished mourning lockets when music filled the air with sweet sorrow as the resident bards of the long black veil recited odes to the somber beauty of Death's final waltz. This venerable ritual comes to life at the Mourning Tea in Salem.

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6:30 pm - 9:00 pm: The Dumb Supper: Dinner with the Dead

Join the Salem Witches in the Grand Ballroom of the historic Hawthorne Hotel as we honor the dead with a dinner observed in utter silence. Salem Warlocks Christian Day and Brian Cain invite you to a banquet of sumptuous cuisine where the only sound heard is music chosen in memory of the departed. Bring photos and mementos to summon the souls of your loved ones on the other side as you partake in the most solemn of all the ceremonies of Witchcraft. The Dumb Supper is an ancient tradition where the dead attend the living for a magical night of communion!

The evening opens with a blessing where each attendee is guided through the veil between the worlds to the realms of the dead where no one living may speak. Participants place their photos and mementos on an elaborate altar, at which time they are then seated and the feast is served.

Each year, the spirits have manifested in a variety of ways. Guests have recalled a ghostly touch, the scent of perfume, whispered messages, and even physical manifestations. This is a solemn event where respect for the dead is crucial. By remaining slient, you open your heart and mind to those who have crossed over. Menu for the Evening In keeping with tradition, the courses of The Dumb Supper are served backwards and the placement of everything down to the silverware is reversed as a means of weaving participants into the shadowy world of spirit. This menu is subject to change.

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October 31, 2024

5:00 pm - 6:00 pm: The Salem Witches' Magic Circle

The Salem Witches' Magic Circle 2024

Join Christian Day and Brian Cain, with drumming by the Dragon Ritual Drummers as Witches from around the globe gather for the sacred and magical ritual of Halloween! This event is free and open to all who wish to attend with an open heart and a love for their dead. There is also no limit on the number of participants.

that most mysterious night when the veil between the worlds is at its thinnest, the Salem Witches gather on Salem Common-as was done on hilltops of old, for a ceremony to honor our loved ones who have crossed over into the spirit world. This time was known to the ancient Celts as Samhain, or Summer's end for, as nature began to die, so too it was believed, that the spirits of the dead roam the lands seeking old friends among the living. This is a time to renew connections, mourn those you miss, and celebrate all that these cherished souls brought to your life. Death is not the end, but merely a doorway to another world.

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Date: October 25 - 31, 2024

Location: Various Venues in Salem, MA

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