A festive crowd streamed into Salem to celebrate Halloween Wednesday night, dressed in gory and gorgeous costumes, and dancing to DJs and live bands.

“Where else in the world can you go to see people of all ages dressed up,” said Nick Taber, 28, of Fall River, dressed as a furry Ted, the flip, pot-smoking teddy bear featured in a Mark Wahlberg film. “And most of it is all for free.”