The Ultimate Guide to Portable Restrooms
Every October, Salem, Massachusetts, transforms into the largest Halloween celebration in the world. Haunted Happenings welcomes more than a million visitors for parades, walking tours, vendor fairs, museums, and special events that unfold across the historic city. Unlike a stadium or gated venue, Haunted Happenings happens everywhere in Salem: on the Common, along downtown streets, near businesses, and in public parks.
“It’s not a venue. I think that’s the biggest and most unique part about it, “explains Jeremy Fiske, Special Events Manager for the City of Salem. “This is a real city with real people and real businesses.”
That citywide footprint is what makes Haunted Happenings magical, and what makes portable restroom planning for large events uniquely challenging. Portable restroom services aren’t just a convenience. They’re a core part of public safety, accessibility, and the overall visitor experience.
For the Haunted Happening’s event team, sanitation planning starts with two true things. First, people need places to go. Second, those places need to be clean, safe, and not disrupt emergency routes or crowd flow.
With over a million attendees spread across a historic downtown, portable restroom placement strategy matters as much as the number of units. Restrooms must be easy to access without blocking roads, businesses, or pedestrian traffic. They must also be serviced reliably, even as road closures, crowd patterns, and event needs change daily.
In previous years, those logistics proved difficult for Salem. Past vendors struggled with access, timing, and responsiveness, which led to unsanitary conditions and a flood of complaints. During the 2023 season alone, the city logged roughly 100 complaint calls related to restroom service. For a municipal event team juggling police, fire, DPW, vendors, and entertainment, that was time and energy better spent elsewhere.
Salem needed a portable toilet provider for large crowds who understood that municipal event restroom services are about more than dropping units and hoping for the best.
“For me, the most important thing is a vendor that’s able to be flexible, reliable, and can be responsive to our needs,” says Fiske.
Rather than treating Haunted Happenings like a typical event, The Throne Depot showed up as a collaborative, flexible partner ready to adapt as the city came to life in October.
Before the season even began, The Throne Depot team sat down with city staff to review detailed road closure maps and crowd flow plans. From there, they conducted a full site visit to every proposed restroom location across Salem. This hands-on approach ensured that each unit was positioned with public safety, ADA access, and service logistics in mind.
Once October arrived, communication stayed front and center. A direct text chain allowed the city to reach The Throne Depot team in real time, while regular updates confirmed when morning and evening cleanings were complete. When crowds shifted or needs changed, as they inevitably do during a month-long festival, The Throne Depot team responded quickly.
Units were moved. Quantities were adjusted. Vandalized restrooms were replaced promptly. Whether it was reconfiguring a row on the Common or turning units on Derby Street to improve flow, The Throne Depot proved consistently flexible, reliable, and responsive; three qualities the city identified as non-negotiable for any festival portable toilet provider.
When asked what he would tell other large event planners considering The Throne Depot, Fisk didn’t hesitate. “I would say to do it. You guys were reliable, flexible, and you communicated really well, which is really what is important.”” – Jeremy Fiske., Salem, Ma
The impact of this portable toilet partnership was immediate and measurable.
During the most recent Haunted Happenings season, the City of Salem reported zero complaint calls related to portable restrooms. Not fewer complaints. Not manageable complaints. Zero. That marked a dramatic turnaround from the previous year and validated the importance of thoughtful large event portable restroom services.
But the real impact went beyond numbers. City staff repeatedly praised The Throne Depot’s communication and follow-through and also emphasized that long-standing pain points from previous vendors were fully addressed.
As Fiske shares, “Not having to field complaints or worry if toilets are getting cleaned continuously, that reliable service lets me worry about all the other stuff that’s going on.”
Even more telling was the feedback from attendees. City staff overheard multiple visitors commenting positively on the cleanliness of the restrooms, a great sign that portable restroom expectations were exceeded. When people remember an event’s restrooms for the right reasons, it’s a clear indicator that your public event’s sanitation strategy is working.
The success of this season has shaped future planning. For 2026, the city anticipates slight shifts in restroom locations, a modest reduction in unit counts on the Common, and the addition of a new location at Sheffield’s Park.
The city has also raised the possibility of a multi-year contract, opening the door for continued collaboration not just for Haunted Happenings, but for Salem’s many other high-attendance events throughout the year.
Through detailed planning, clear communication, and an ability to adapt on the fly, The Throne Depot helped transform one of Salem’s biggest operational challenges into a haunting success!
From standard portable restrooms and handicap-accessible units to handwashing stations and upscale restroom trailers, The Throne Depot delivers reliable, professional portable restroom services that keep events like Haunted Happenings running smoothly
When asked what he would tell other large event planners considering The Throne Depot, Fiske didn’t hesitate. “I would say to do it. You guys were reliable, flexible, and you communicated really well, which is really what is important.”
Hire The Throne Depot for your next large event! Request a Quote today or Call Us with any questions at (781) 653-7775.
Want to hear directly from Salem’s Special Events Manager and see the scale of Haunted Happenings from above?
Watch this short video to hear Jeremy Fisk share what makes managing sanitation in a historic, large-scale citywide event so unique, and how The Throne Depot helped deliver zero restroom complaints during the world’s largest Halloween celebration.
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