Salem Haunted Happenings Parade 2026

 The first Thursday in October, unofficially kicks off the Halloween season (tourists start coming in early September!) in Salem with the 29th Annual Haunted Happenings Parade.And not only is it the parade's 29th but this year is also Salem's 400th anniversary!

 

As I do every year, I got there a little early to walk the staging area and get some "behind the scenes" photos of everyone getting ready. The theme this year was Old School Halloween and some of the costumes and floats certainly tuned into that.

 

 One of the high school marching bands went all in on Marvel. I think the trombone player in the green sweater is supposed to be Stan Lee with his gray hair.

  

The "Haunted Warren Museum" recently opened in downtown Salem and their float has this giant Megabelle version of the Annabelle doll.

 

 I don't know who the sponsor was for this one but they won the night for me. If you grew up in the Boston area in the 70s/80s, you probably spent Saturday afternoons watching channel 56's Creature Double Feature and it's definitely where I cut my teeth on classic horror. 

Halloween 2026 LEGO Minifigs

For the past couple years, I hit up Temu to look for not-quite-LEGO Halloween-ish sets for a new place for my minifigs to hang out but I didn't see anything that grabbed my attention this year, it was mostly the same stuff I found last year. So I just recycled a section of the set I got last year.

 

 If you're lucky enough to have a LEGO store nearby, you've probably passed by the build your own minifig station and every year they have some new Halloween ones to build. They tend to release the first week in September so if you're just finding out about them now, they may be hard to find.

 

First up is a girl werewolf trick or treater. When you build these, you get one accessory per figure and there are tons of things you can pick. I will usually look at the "official" photos and grab the accessory they show, even if it's kind of boring like this lantern.

 

There's some great detail on the torso with little tufts of fur and candy stuffed in the pockets. On the back, you can see the buttons of the costume.

 

 Next is a zombie woman. Unlike the other two, this one seems like it might be an actual zombie instead of a costume. But then, when was the last time you saw a zombie smile? The hair is pulled back into a ponytail that would probably look good if you were making a Mother minifig from Psycho.

 

 Rounding out the 2026 gang is Frankenkid. The lightning is a great accessory and not a piece you see a lot outside of the Emperor. His hair would be perfect for a Moe Howard minifig! It's hard to see with the black on black but the bottom of his legs are black to make it look like boots. Like the werewolf, he's got some candy stashed in his pocket.

 

 Trick or Treat!

 

I just had to show off these cool trick or treat sacks from Crazy Bricks again so more people can find them and see the other goodies Crazy Bricks makes. 

 

 Click the witch to see the list of participating Countdown blogs!

 

Halloween Hot Wheels 2026 - Rockin Railer

 Typically, I've done Halloween Hot Wheels Wednesday because I like alteration. But with only four Wednesdays this year and five Hot Wheels, I've changed it up. Yes, I could double up on one post but then that's a whole other post I need to come up with. 

 

I'd forgotten to order these in advance. Distribution is always seems spotty and I never know if they're going to turn up in a local store. One weekend, they were in my local supermarket and I grabbed the whole wave. There was no sign of them the following weekend! I have seen a couple popping up in Target but never the whole wave. 

 

Anyway, let's wave that green flag and start things off with the card art.

 

 

I'm really loving this year's design! You kind of got a Halloween Smokey and the Bandit chase going on leaving a trail of candy, a giant neon pumpkin, and a spooky...house? castle? with trick or treaters out front and a witch flying in front of a full moon.

 

 

 First in the 2026 lineup is Rockin' Railer. Every time I've had to type that name, my fingers automatically type Roller instead of Railer. This dragster was first introduced in 2023 and this is the sixth iteration. I can't imagine this would be easy to drive with the huge engine right in front of the windshield. But I guess if you're drag racing you're probably going in a straight line.

 

  

From the original card back: "Inspired by rail dragsters of the 60's, this speedster is always rockin' as it goes from 0–100 in 0.8 seconds. It will leave the competition in its dust while the exposed front engine rocks from side to side." And it does indeed, rock! When the car rolls along, the giant chrome engine rocks side to side.

 

I've seen a lot of collectors online grousing that this year's Halloween offerings aren't great but I disagree and think we got a really strong line up! Tune in every Friday for more Halloween Hot Wheels!

 

Swing by and see all the Countdown to Halloween blogs!